Woman with £7m contract on her head

Michelle Hogg, 33, a make-up artist from Plumstead, made the prosthetic masks used by the robbers in the £53million Tonbridge raid but charges were dropped when she became a prosecution witness.

Ms Hogg, a policeman's daughter and graduate of the London School of Fashion, has changed her name and appearance and is living under police protection.

Officers fear the man who masterminded Britain's biggest cash raid and is still to face justice will pay the bounty to hitmen to prevent any trial taking place.

Ms Hogg has identified the ringleader, currently being held in a north African jail awaiting possible extradition to the UK. Police have recovered £21million of the cash but the remainder is unaccounted for and is thought to have been smuggled to Morocco, northern Cyprus and Albania. A police source said today: "It'll be a very long time before she can sleep properly at night. Michelle is the only one who can conclusively say who was the brains behind this. She knows her life is in danger. People will pay literally millions to bump her off."

The source added: "Her evidence was absolutely vital to securing convictions. How or why she got into this we don't know. But though she has gone free she has a life sentence as the gang have the money and means to exact revenge."

Ms Hogg made masks for the men out of latex and false hair. In one case she used a bra strap to pull back the skin around the face, changing the shape of the raider's eyes to make him look Chinese. Ms Hogg previously worked at Harvey Nichols on a cosmetics counter and also at Selfridges.

She bought £400 worth of products from Charles Fox theatrical suppliers in Covent Garden for the disguises and then dumped the left over make-up in her bin, which was subsequently found. Despite charges being dropped, her claim to have had no knowledge what the gang was up to remains disputed by police and prosecutors.

Roger Coe-Salazar, Kent's chief prosecutor, said: "We do not accept Hogg had no knowledge of what she was doing and we still don't. The decision to drop the charges was based on the public interest and not based on the evidence."

She describes herself on her CV as a make up artist "specialising in theatrical and corrective make up" and boasts of her "ability to work to tight deadlines" as someone who "enjoys working in a fast-paced environment".

Ms Hogg was originally charged in connection with the raid but after suffering a nervous breakdown while on bail awaiting trial, she agreed to give evidence in exchange for the dropping of charges against her.

Ms Hogg shook in the dock as she gave evidence against the gang, telling how she made "bald caps", fake noses and chins for the men. She named Stuart-Royle, 49, Jetmir Bucpapa, 26, Lea Rusha, 35, and Roger Coutts, 30, as the men whose masks she made. They will be sentenced today at the Old Bailey for robbery, kidnap and firearms offences along with Emir Hysenaj, who worked as a security guard inside the depot.

On 21 February 2006, Securitas depot manager Colin Dixon, 52, was driving from work to his home in Herne Bay when he was pulled over by two men posing as police officers. He then realised they were wearing prosthetic masks and it was an ambush. They led him at gunpoint to an isolated farm near Staplehurst.

At the same time, two more bogus policemen arrived at his home, telling his wife Lynn that her husband had been involved in an accident-She and their child got into the car with the men and were taken to the farmhouse where Mr Dixon was being held. All three were driven back to the depot where Mr Dixon was forced to help them get past security.

After bursting in, the gang then tied up the 14 employees with cable ties and threatened to kill them if they did not do as they were told.

Although the gang escaped with £53 million, they left behind £154million which would not fit into their lorry.