THE Alfred Wilkins murder trial caused a sensation.

He died from smoke inhalation after a turps substitute was poured through his letter box and set on fire on February 9, 2001. His dog, Lucky, was also killed.

Following a trial at Hull Crown Court in 2002, Ian Lawless and his co-defendant Gary Lawson were sentenced to life imprisonment, after being convicted of murder.

The trial was told that Mr Wilkins had been cleared of indecently assaulting children, but that he was "punished" by residents living on the Yarborough estate who thought he had been wrongly acquitted.

Prosecuting, John Milmo QC told the jury: "Over a period of time Alfred Wilkins was victimised and eventually his flat was set on fire. As a result, Alfred Wilkins died. That is why we are here."

They were told that Lawless had confessed to drinkers in Grimsby's Pestle And Mortar pub – the element which has been judged to be unsafe by the Criminal Cases Review Commission.

Following his conviction, Lawless maintained his innocence, telling the Grimsby Telegraph: "I am not guilty of murder. I might have done some daft things in my life, but I was not involved in the killing of Alf Wilkins.

"I do not bear grudges, especially when people have not done anything to me.

"I will be proved innocent one day. I will be cleared."

At the trial, Lawson and his former girlfriend Chantelle Day were found guilty of conspiring to cause grevious bodily harm to Mr Wilkins one week before his death.

Co-defendant Gary Fairbanks was convicted of intimidating a witness and threatening to destroy or damage property and was jailed for two years.

In 2003, Day went on trial accused of murdering Mr Wilkins, but was dramatically cleared.

She was locked up for two years, in 2007, after attacking a woman which was described by Recorder Jonathan Rose as "brutal savagery".