A man dubbed "the smiling terrorist" was sentenced to death today for his part in the Bali bombing which killed the former deputy head boy of a Brighton school.

Amrozi bin Nurhasyim, 41, was found guilty in Indonesia of planning and helping to carry out the deadliest terror attack since the September 11 atrocity of 2001.

Amrozi will face a firing squad. His was the first verdict in the trials of 36 suspects arrested after the two bombings on the paradise island.

Marketing executive Daniel Braden, 28, who worked in Taiwan, was in Bali on a rugby tour when bombs ripped through the Sari nightclub and nearby Paddy's Bar, killing 202 people including 26 Britons.

Today hundreds of people, including survivors of the bombings, cheered as the judge read out the sentence in the packed courtroom.

Amrozi took off his Islamic skull cap, raised his arms and gave his lawyers the thumbs-up. As he was led out of court he smiled broadly.

Today Daniel's loved ones said they feared the death sentence would turn the killer into a martyr.

Daniel's girlfriend Jun Hurst, 28, said she would rather he was left to reflect on his deeds in prison.

She said: "We don't want Amrozi to get the death penalty. We feel if he is killed he will die a martyr and his work will be celebrated. It will possibly cause more violence, more terror attacks.

"I don't want him to die thinking he's completed his work, that he's done everything his God wants him to do."

Mr Braden's father Alex, 55, who lives in Brighton, said it was "a damned shame" Amrozi received a death sentence.

He said: "I'm very pleased he's been found guilty but we were hoping he would not get the death penalty.

"We won't win the war on terror this way. We have to change minds and there are more effective ways to do that."

Although Indonesian law allows for death sentences, in practice executions are rare. But the government has been eager to show the world its commitment to bringing the perpetrators to justice.

Three other defendants are currently facing the court in Denpasar, Bali's capital.

Amrozi was charged with buying the bomb-making materials and the mini-van used in the attack.

He had told his lawyers he was ready to be punished.

Soon after his arrest in November he was dubbed the "smiling terrorist" after outraging survivors and victims' relatives when he appeared giggling before television crews.

At an earlier hearing, he had told the court why he took part in the attack. He wanted foreigners out of Indonesia and thought late-night TV shows and Western films were immoral.

Today's verdict came two days after another bomb exploded at the Marriott Hotel in the Indonesian capital Jakarta, killing at least ten people.