Relatives fear bomber will become a martyr

SURVIVORS and relatives of the victims of the Bali bombing fear the death penalty will turn Amrozi bin Nurhasyim into a martyr in the eyes of other radical Muslims.

Adelaide magistrate Brian Deegan, whose son Josh died in the blast, fears further repercussions if the execution is carried out.

"The thought of anybody dying whether by state or by any other form of murder in the name of my son is totally abhorrent to me," he said. "I suspect that this will in many respects backfire and is going to create a lot more mischief and a lot more misery."

In Britain, Susanna Miller, whose brother Dan died in the bombing, also said she regretted the death sentence.

"It should have been a life sentence it's a life sentence for all those who have lost relatives and who have been badly injured by the bombing," said Ms Miller, spokesperson for the British Bali Bombing Victims Group.

Others whose lives were turned upside down by the Bali nightclub bombings felt Amrozi bin Nurhasyim got off lightly yesterday.

The 41-year-old mechanic was sentenced to death by firing squad for his role in the blasts that killed 202 people, including 88 Australians and 26 Britons.

Many felt a sense of disappointment that, with a guilty verdict almost inevitable given Amrozi's admissions in court, he would not have to suffer more for what the judge called "crimes against humanity".

Trent Thompson, who lost his brother Clint and five team-mates from the Coogee Dolphins rugby club, said he just felt a "sense of emptiness" and would have preferred to see Amrozi rot in jail, living a "long and unhappy life".

"These prisons are not nice places," he said.

But for some, the relief to know Amrozi would experience the same fate as their loved ones was tangible.

Natalie Yuniardi, whose husband died in the blast, came to court with her baby on her arms. She wept after the verdict was read.

"I will only be happy when all of them are put to death," she said. "I just can't wait for the day that he is actually killed.

In Perth, the parents of victim Corey Paltridge also felt justice had been done.

"I am very pleased he has been sentenced to death. It's a happy day," said Corey's father Kevin Paltridge.