A woman who was wrongly jailed for an arson attack in which a mother and her two daughters died is beginning legal action against South Wales Police.
Diane Jones, her daughters Shauna, two, and 13-month-old Sarah Jane were killed in the blaze on the Gurnos estate in Merthyr Tydfil on 11 October 1995.
Annette Hewins served two-and-a-half years of a 13-year term before her conviction was overturned in 1999.
She is suing the force for malicious prosecution in the high court.
Ms Jones, who was 21, and her two young children died in the blaze after petrol was poured through the letter box of their home on the Merthyr estate and set alight.
Mother-of-four Mrs Hewins, from the Pant area of Merthyr, was jailed for 13 years for the attack while her niece, Donna Clarke, was given a 20 year sentence.
They were cleared of murder but were convicted of arson with intent to endanger life.
Their convictions were later quashed on appeal
A third woman, Denise Sullivan, was convicted of perverting the course of justice and also jailed.
No-one has since been convicted for the fatal attack.
Compensation
Last October, on the 10th anniversary, South Wales Police renewed their appeal for information, saying the crime "had cast a shadow over the community of Merthyr".
Ms Hewins' civil case against South Wales Police begins at the Cardiff Civil Justice Centre on Monday. The hearing is expected to last three weeks.
Before being freed by the appeal court, she spent more than two and a half years in prison, separated from her children, and she gave birth to her fourth child while in custody .
Ms Hewins is claiming hundreds of thousands of pounds for compensation for the suffering caused.
(BBC)
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