A 23-year-old Heathrow Airport worker who called herself the "Lyrical Terrorist" yesterday became the first woman to be convicted under new terrorism legislation.

Samina Malik burst into tears in the dock at the Old Bailey as a jury found her guilty of possessing records likely to be used for terrorism by a majority of 10 to one. Malik wrote poems entitled How To Behead and The Living Martyrs and stocked a "library" of documents useful to terrorists, the Old Bailey heard. Malik, who worked airside at WH Smith, was an unlikely but committed Islamic extremist, a jury was told.

The court heard she wrote on the back of a receipt: "The desire within me increases every day to go for martyrdom."

Yesterday Malik was convicted of possessing records likely to be useful in terrorism under the Terrorism Act 2000. She was earlier cleared by a jury of a separate count of possessing an article for terrorism.