The father of murdered former South Lakeland schoolgirl Anna Lightfoot has told of his relief that one of his daughter' s killers - who was on the run armed with a gun and ammunition - has been shot dead by police, reports Michaela Robinson-Tate.

David Lightfoot said he and his family were not in favour of the death penalty, and it was impossible to feel pleasure that someone had died, but after learning that the fugitive had attacked another young woman they were comforted to know that he was no longer at large.

Raleigh International aid volunteer Anna, who was 27, was helping to build a school in the Central American country of Belize when, in 1998, she disappeared after setting out for provisions from a village.

Her body was found four days later along a remote jungle trail.

Alan Cal and Estavan Sho, who were 20 and 21 at the time, were convicted of stabbing Anna to death, and sentenced to the death penalty, later commuted to 25 years in prison.

Speaking from the family's house in Spain this week, Mr Lightfoot said that Sho had escaped from prison for the second time about 15 months ago.

He had already been recaptured once following his first break out.

After spending time across the border in Guatemala, Sho, who reportedly still had the drug problem he had when he attacked Anna, returned to Belize and struck again.

Mr Lightfoot said: " Last week he attacked another girl, a local girl, while she was washing clothes in the river.

Fortunately she escaped and reported that he was about.

"He had a gun when he escaped from prison.

When the police arrived he hid in a house, they realised where he was, he started shooting at the police and they just returned fire.

"When they found him apparently he had a .37 Magnum gun with 20 rounds of ammunition."

Mr Lightfoot said that it was apparent to him, and his wife, Freda, that Sho was not going to "go quietly".

"Our reaction is just simply one of relief.

You can't have pleasure at the death of anyone but if he had served out his sentence, and shown some remorse, he would have eventually been able to resume his normal life, and that's not an option he left open for Anna.

"We were relieved, not only because it does close the matter for us, but for other people in Belize, because clearly he was still a danger to anyone."

However, the incident had reopened wounds for the family.

"People say this is justice for Anna," Mr Lightfoot said.

"It's not actually.

Justice for Anna would be her running around preparing for a family Christmas.

"The only justice Anna can have now is for people to remember her for the smashing young woman she was."

Anna attended Kendal's Queen Katherine School until she was 15.

Solicitor David Lightfoot is a former Kendal town clerk, and Freda Lightfoot is a best-selling novelist.

The family has a home in South Lakeland.

A Foreign Office spokesman confirmed that Sho was shot by police on October 31 after escaping from jail and firing shots at the officers.

His fellow killer, Alan Cal, remains in jail.