A sex-change woman was hounded to death by bigots, her dad has claimed. Kali Bomar, 41, was once Mark Evans but had a full sex change 12 months before she was found dead in her flat in Whitby, North Yorkshire, on December 18.

Her dad, Jim Evans, is convinced that she was driven to death by people taunting her about her operation.

Miss Bomar died of a drugs overdose and an inquest is to be held in Scarborough.

Her father Jim Evans said: "I want to prick the conscences of people, some made Kali's life a living hell.

"She was diagnosed as being ender dysphoric and had breast augmentation, which I paid for costing £4,500. Then in December 2004 she had a sex change operation at Leicester, funded by the City Hospital NHS Trust. I think Kali thought the cruel taunts and remarks would stop then, but they carried on.

"Kali was a very gentle, caring type of person. Some people were understanding but some were not. She really took this to heart.

"We can't bring Kali back but if we can prevent other people sufering in a similar sexual quandary, we hope people will understand better in future.

"If Kali had lived in a city she may have been better accepted. But Whitby can be very introverted in some ways nad old-fashioned in its views. I believe she took her own life with the drugs overdose because I was there shortly after it happened.

"Kali loved everyone - people and animals - and we don't want her to have died in vain."

Kali, who was well-known on the Whitby Goth scene, had thought she was gay but in later years realised she was trapped in the wrong gender. Her family struggled to accept her condition at first, but later backed her.