The wife of one of the failed 21 July bombers has been sentenced to 15 years for failing to tell police about his plan.

The Old Bailey heard that Yeshi Girma knew of her husband Hussain Osman's plot to bomb Shepherd's Bush station in July 2005. Judge Paul Worsley even said she could have prevented the shooting dead of Jean Charles de Menezes, who police mistook for Osman.

Prior knowledge

The court was told that 30 minutes after Osman's device had failed to explode on 21 July 2005; he called his wife to help plan his escape from the UK.

Girma, a Muslim convert, refused to warn police of the plot out of a 'twisted and irrational devotion' to her husband.

15 years, the Judge said, 'was woefully inadequate' and:

"When Osman's suicide mission, aimed at mass slaughtered, failed, each of you in different ways assisted him to escape justice so that he could flee to Italy to be able to strike again."

The jury agreed that Girma "had prior knowledge of the events of 21/7", finding her guilty of having information about terrorism and failing to disclose it.

Osman's escape

Girma, 32, had apparently helped him get as far as Brighton. He later fled on a Eurostar train from Waterloo to Paris then travelling to Rome.

Italian police quickly tracked him down as anti terror officers traced his movements and was extradited back to the UK. He and three other would be bombers were caged for life for conspiracy to murder last July.

Prosecutor Max Hill said Girma knew before the attacks what her husband planned:

"She had some information about what the bombers intended to do on 21/7, but failed to bring this to the attention of the police."

Other conspirators

Her brother, Esayas, 22, sister Mulu, 24 and Mulu's boyfriend Mohamed Kabashi, 25, all helped Osman escape. The siblings were sent down for ten years and the boyfriend, nine.

Five African men where also handed down sentences between seven and 17 years in February for hiding the July 21 bombers and providing them with false passports were yesterday.

A judge at Osman's appeal said:

"On 21 July 2005, London came within a vanishingly short breath of wholesale murder by terrorists.

Yeshi's father is apparently a Catholic diplomat from Ethiopia who sent his children to boarding school in Italy before leaving them to be brought up by their mother in Streatham.

How the co conspirators helped Osman

Esayas was a regular visitor to Osman's home at Blair House, Stockwell. After the attacks he actively helped Osman escape and provided a mobile phone in an attempt to evade detection by the authorities.

Mulu lived at Southall Avenue, Brighton at the time of the attacks. She put up Osman immediately after the attacks, treated his injuries and helped move him to a second safe-house during the massive police hunt to trace him.

She also attempted to dispose of clothing worn by Osman in nearby woodland.

Kabashi assisted Osman in Brighton where he made arrangements to harbour Osman at his girlfriend's and other addresses in Brighton. He then helped dispose of incriminating evidence against the failed bomber in a bid to disrupt the investigation to trace him.