Rachel Frogson fled after Robert Boyer torched her father's house

Rachel Frogson and her partner stayed in the property after rushing back from Sri Lanka after hearing of the killing.

They were forced to flee for their lives when the fire broke out on the ground floor of the house on Bentinck Street nearly two weeks after Mr Frogson died in July 2004.

Her close-knit family were left terrified that he could strike again as he went on the run from police and they taped up their letterboxes in case he set fire to another of their homes.

'Act of cowardice'

Miss Frogson, 33, who has lived abroad for five years, said the family were left wondering what they had done to deserve the campaign of hatred and violence waged by Boyer.

She said: "I think the fire was yet a further act of cowardice.

"As soon as the house caught fire, fingers started pointing in his direction.

More than 1,000 mourners attended Keith Frogson's funeral

"We just didn't know what we had done to deserve it. We still don't. It doesn't make any sense."

Boyer's vicious attack on Mr Frogson was initially linked to a 20-year feud over the miners' strike of 1984.

But his son, Wayne Frogson, insisted there was no long-standing animosity between the pair.

They said the pair did not know each other during the strike as Boyer worked in a different pit to their father.

Hundreds of mourners

Mr Frogson, 32, said: "They were both miners but that had no bearing on the killing of my dad.

"There was no animosity over the strike between my dad and his killer.

"I think people have cottoned on to the fact that they were both miners and that my dad is a strong NUM supporter and the fact that Boyer worked through the strike, but I know for a fact that there was no animosity between the two."