THE teenage thug who killed a frail Bolton pensioner has been branded "despicable and inhuman".

Coroner Jennifer Leeming, recording a verdict of unlawful killing on 88-year-old Phyllis Mayoh, challenged the youth, who has never been caught, to come forward and prove her wrong.

Phyllis died in hospital three days after she was attacked at her home in Rosamund Street, Daubhill.

The coroner said that the thug's actions in throwing the disabled pensioner to the floor and then dragging her to her bed and demanding money showed he was "incapable of the human emotions of compassion and respect."

She added: "If the person himself listens to my remarks and disagrees with them, then he should come forward himself to the police to demonstrate, at the very least, he can feel shame."

Mrs Mayoh, a retired mill worker, was washing up in the kitchen of her home on Easter Sunday last year when she saw a youth standing next to her bed in the living room, an inquest heard on Tuesday.

The teenager, described as aged 17-18 and very slim with mousy hair and wearing dirty trainers and jeans, threw her to the kitchen floor before grabbing her by the shoulder and hurling her on to the bed.

He clenched his fist at her and demanded money but she managed to grab hold of her Careline emergency pendant and raise the alarm.

Her attacker ran off with her purse which contained £110, including money she had been saving for her granddaughter's birthday.

Mrs Mayoh was taken to the Royal Bolton Hospital where, three days later, she underwent surgery to repair a broken hip. She died just hours after coming out of the operating theatre.

Home office pathologist Dr Charles Wilson told the Bolton inquest: "I'm entirely convinced Mrs Mayoh would not have died when she did had it not been for the hip fracture." DCI Andy Durkin, who headed the hunt for Mrs Mayoh's killer, described the efforts which had been made to try to track him down.

A team of more than 30 officers worked for more than six months on the investigation during which they conducted 700 interviews, made extensive searches around Mrs Mayoh's home and viewed hours of CCTV video tape.

The purse stolen from Mrs Mayoh's home was eventually found the following month a mile away in bushes at Platt Hill Avenue, Deane. But unfortunately forensic tests failed to reveal any new clues. DCI Durkin says that although there are no current leads the case will not be closed and evidence will be looked at again should there be any future scientific advances.

Speaking after the inquest he said that he is convinced someone is continuing to shield Mrs Mayoh's murderer. He is certain the youth will have confided in someone.

"To my mind that person is as bad as he is by not coming forward and giving us that information," he said. Mrs Mayoh was a lovely lady from a lovely family.

"To inflict a death prematurely like this is unforgivable."

Mrs Mayoh's niece Elaine Hartshorne talked about the family's loss and their belief that Mrs Mayoh's attacker must be caught.

"I don't think I can find words for how I feel about him. He must be very sick," she said, adding they are convinced he must have been a drug addict wanting money for his next fix.

"He needs to be caught or he will just do this to someone else's mother or sister," she said.