THE fiancee of a family man who died 20 months after he was beaten up in a pub have demanded his killers be brought to justice.

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) decided not to bring a case against four men who attacked Kevin Pharoah.

Now, a coroner has ruled that he was unlawfully killed because the epileptic fit that caused his death was brought about by injuries he received in the assault.

Gateshead Coroner Terence Carney said that "beyond any doubt" Mr Pharoah was the victim of an unlawful killing.

As a result of his findings, the CPS has agreed to consider the case again.

Mr Pharoah's partner, Helen McCall, 42, was with him on the night he was attacked.

She said: "I am completely over the moon that justice is going to be done for Kevin.

"I was so angry and so frustrated when I heard that no one was going to be prosecuted for his death, I felt numb but now I have hope.

"After the attack he was never the same. He became more moody and a darker side of him seemed to come out. We drifted apart, but I still cared for him and we stayed very good friends."

Mr Pharoah, a 49-year-old driver from Leam Lane in Gateshead was found dead at home in October 2001.

The inquest heard that following his death police charged four men but the CPS later dropped the charges.

A spokesman for Mr Pharoah's family said: "We are happy with the coroner's verdict but don't want to say more at this stage."

The inquest heard Tony Gray was charged with wounding Mr Pharoah, while he, his brother, Stephen, Geoff Keepin and Norman Cutter were all charged with violent disorder. All charges were dropped by the CPS.