Christians Under Attack

According to the newspaper which cited unidentified police sources, Mustaf Jamma, a Somali man, assumed the identity of his sister and using her passport and wearing a veil got through security at London's Heathrow Airport.

He apparently fled for his homeland after being implicated in the November 2005 murder of Constable Sharon Beshenivsky during an armed robbery in the town of Bradford.

Her colleague, Teresa Milburn, 37, was shot and injured in the shoulder.

Jamma, 26, escaped Britain between Christmas Day last year, and New Year's Day, The Times said.

At the time of his departure, he had 21 criminal convictions and was one of Britain's most wanted men, with his photograph circulated to every police force, port and airport in the country.

A spokesman for Heathrow Airport was quoted as saying in The Times: "Immigration control staff always do a visual check on people coming into the country but only random checks are made with outgoing passengers.''

Britain in May formally asked Somalia's largely powerless transitional government for help in tracing Jamma.

Jamma's younger brother Yusuf Abdillh Jamma was earlier this week convicted of Constable Beshenivsky's murder, and Muzzaker Imtiaz Shah admitted the charge at Newcastle Crown Court in October.

The pair will be sentenced on Friday along with two other men, Faisal Razzaq and his brother Hassan, who were convicted of manslaughter.

Mustaf Jamma is thought to be under armed protection in Somalia, according to The Times, where his family wields a great deal of influence.

Along with Jamma, Piran Ditta Khan is a sixth suspect in the murder who is on the run.

Despite the majority of British police being unarmed, fatalities are rare and Constable Beshenivsky's death was the first of a female officer since 2001.