ARTWORK by the boyfriend of a murdered Rossendale woman is to be exhibited in aid of the charity set up in her memory.

Fifteen paintings by Robert Maltby, who was also attacked when Sophie Lancaster was kicked to death in a Bacup park in August 2007 because they were dressed like goths, will be showcased in the The Art of Sophie exhibition next week.

The event has been organised by the Sophie Lancaster Foundation, which was set up by the gap year student’s mum, Sylvia, with a mission summed up using her daughter’s name as an acronym – Stamp Out Prejudice, Hatred and Intolerance Everywhere.

If Robert attends the Manchester exhibition, which will feature his Red Iris collection, it will be the first time he has left Rossendale in three years, according to his uncle Nigel Lancashire.

Nigel said Robert had told him that the proposition of exhibiting his work filled him with equal amounts of ‘excitement and horror’.

He said: “Rob has had a lot of problems and hasn’t really left the house very much since the attack. He is quite introverted these days. At the moment he thinks he will go, but we will have to wait and see.”

According to Nigel, the paintings featured in the exhibition are not directly inspired by or related to Sophie, but have a running story line.

The paintings include ‘secret messages’ in coded language, which Nigel described as ‘typical Rob’.

He said: “Rob has a very wild imagination. There is a theme with a complete story line that is told through the exhibition. It’s quite surreal, but the artwork itself is actually quite easy to understand and is a lot more refined than in the past.

“It will appeal to anybody who has a liking for very detailed work. It’s very dark and angsty but it has a real sense of humour to it as well. Rob has quite a cerebral sense of humor. Some people may not see it in the artwork, but it’s definitely there.”

The exhibition will take place at the Black Dog Ballroom, at the iconic Affleck’s Palace, between 5pm and 8pm on Wednesday June 3