James Tomkins, 61, lived in exile under an assumed identity on the Costa del Sol, Spain,fugitive murderer who killed a young father in front of his children in Essex before fleeing to the "Costa del Crime" has been jailed for life.

A fugitive murderer who killed a young father in front of his children in Essex before fleeing to the "Costa del Crime" has been jailed for life.

James Tomkins, 61, lived in exile under an assumed identity on the Costa del Sol, Spain, after the "brutal execution" of 24-year-old Rocky Dawson.

Mr Dawson was shot several times in the back as he put the children, aged two and six, in his Fiat Punto on the drive of the family's home in Hornchurch in 2006.

After several years on the run, Tomkins, who was named as one of Britain's 10 most wanted criminals in 2008, was traced to near Marbella and extradited.

He was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 33 years at Woolwich Crown Court, the Metropolitan Police said.

Mr Dawson was gunned down as a dark-blue Land Rover Freelander vehicle drove past. His children were unharmed during the incident.

Tomkins' accomplice Christopher Pearman, of Waltham Abbey, received a life sentence for the murder at the same court in 2007.

Detective Inspector Mark Lawson said: "This was a brutal execution of a totally innocent young man in what we believe to have been a case of mistaken identity.

"Despite the arrest and subsequent conviction of Christopher Pearman we knew James Tomkins was a key player in this murder.

"He sought to distance himself from the investigation by fleeing to Spain where he lived for four years. Since his extradition and return to the UK he has shown no remorse for his callous actions.

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