SEXISM influenced some media prominence given to the death, in Iraq, of Flt Lt Sarah-Jayne Mulvihill ahead of four male British military personnel killed in the same Basra helicopter crash.

With or without outside help, there is considerable resistance within Iraq to its occupation by American and British forces.

Some sections of our media will use the first death of a British servicewoman to camouflage such growing resentment.

I hope Sarah-Jayne Mulvihill is not portrayed as a martyr in order to justify British military involvement in Iraq.

Colin S Jeffrey,

East Mount Road,

York.

Updated: 11:29 Monday, May 15, 2006