Back to the books for 'Badness' Binse

Victorian career criminal Christopher "Badness" Binse will have to get back to his legal books now he's won the right to argue for reduced jail time.

Binse, 47, said he had been reading up on legislation as he represented himself in the Court of Appeal on Friday, where he was granted the opportunity to argue next year that his latest jail sentence is manifestly excessive.

Binse is serving a maximum 18 years and two months behind bars for stealing $235,000 from a Melbourne hotel and shooting at police in a 44-hour siege in 2012.