FORMER dictator Saddam Hussein was last night waiting to be led to the hangman's noose.

Members of Iraq's parliament and families of Saddam's victims were expected to witness the former leader's execution - which was expected to take place at dawn today.

But in an 11th hour bid to save his life, Saddam's lawyers went to a US court last night to contest his release to Iraqi authorities.

The lawyers filed documents asking for an emergency restraining order aimed at stopping the US government from relinquishing custody of the former leader to Iraqi officials, a spokeswoman for a federal court in Washington DC said.

Meanwhile, families of British servicemen in Iraq expressed fears that troops would become the target of a backlash in the wake of the hanging.

Rose Gentle, whose 19-year-old son, Gordon, was killed in Iraq, said many relatives of soldiers in the country were frightened there would be an upsurge of violence against coalition troops after Saddam's death penalty was carried out.

A British soldier died yesterday after his vehicle came under attack in Basra.

Keeping the former dictator in prison would have punished him for his crimes and may have prevented an escalation of insurgent violence, Mrs Gentle said.

"We are pretty frightened that it's going to cause a lot more trouble and that by executing Saddam, we are going to make matters a lot worse," she said.

"Other mothers have been saying they are really worried.

"We know he is an evil person and that he has killed a lot of people, but they should just imprison him because it is our boys who are going to suffer."

Reg Keys, founder member of Military Families Against War, whose son Tom died while serving as a Royal Military Policeman in Iraq, said the price of bringing Saddam to justice had been too high.

Mr Keys, who stood against Prime Minister Tony Blair in his Sedgefield constituency at last year's General Election, said: "We have lost 127 British soldiers to bring a dictator to book. It wasn't a price worth paying.

"It was never about bringing Saddam to justice in the first place, it was about weapons of mass destruction. Now the goal posts have been moved and it's a different agenda.

"Saddam will go to the gallows and it's well deserved - but we have to bear in mind other vile dictators around the world. Why just Saddam Hussein?"

Mr Keys said Saddam's death would give him no peace of mind.

"My son marched off to war believing that Iraq could launch an attack in 45 minutes, so Saddam's execution gives me no peace whatsoever," he said.

Last night, US and Iraqi officials said Saddam was still in the hands of US guards. The transfer of the former dictator to Iraqi authorities was one of the last steps before his hanging.

Saddam's lawyers issued a statement yesterday calling on "everybody to do everything to stop this unfair execution".

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Maliki said opposing Saddam's execution was an insult to his victims.

"Our respect for human rights requires us to execute him, and there will be no review or delay in carrying out the sentence," Mr Maliki said.

An Iraqi appeals court upheld Saddam's sentence on Tuesday for the killing of 148 people, who were detained after an attempt to assassinate him in the northern Iraqi city of Dujail, in 1982. The court said the former president should be hanged within 30 days.

There have been disagreements among Iraqi officials in recent days as to whether Iraqi law dictates the execution must take place within 30 days and whether President Jalal Talabani and his two deputies have to approve it.

With at least 72 Iraqis killed in Thursday's violence, US officials and Iraqis expressed concern about the potential for worse bloodshed following Saddam's execution.

Bryan Whitman, a Pentagon spokesman, said US forces were on high alert in case the execution sparked another wave of bloodshed across the country.

Yesterday, 22 bodies bearing signs of torture were found across Baghdad. Ten more were found in Baqouba, north of the capital.