THE father of a mother-of-one who died in mysterious circumstances has vowed that his daughter's attacker will be caught.

Debbie Atkin, 38, who had a teenage daughter, was assaulted at her home in Scott's Terrace, Harrowgate Hill, Darlington, shortly before she died in February. She had suffered 150 injuries.

An inquest on Tuesday recorded an open verdict into her death. Two post-mortem examinations could not establish the cause of death, although it was conceded by a pathologist that the assault could have been a factor.

Yesterday, Miss Atkin's father, Mel, said: "She was a loving, kind and thoughtful lass with a heart of gold. She liked to dance, and was forever larking around.

"She always took the mickey out of me, but she started to get depressed over needless worries, even though she had nothing to worry about."

Miss Atkin's mother, Pam, visited her daily while she was ill. She was the last known person to see her alive, on Saturday February 10. Two days later, family members found Miss Atkin's body in a downstairs room of her home.

Mr Atkin and his wife, Molly, were on holiday in Tenerife when they heard of their daughter's death. He said: "I was heartbroken when I heard, and it is still destroying us.

"She had lived with us over the years and we were very close right up until her death."

Mr Atkin praised detectives working on the case, who, after a month-long forensic search of the property, could find no suspicious evidence and no trace of the attacker.

He said: "The police have been smashing. The detectives like to have ticks in every box, but there are still a few missing in this case. It could take months, it could even take years but the police are still pursuing it and I have every faith in them.

"They will not leave a stone unturned. I want to find out who gave her that thumping. She was so badly beaten. It was barbaric."

It was reported in The Northern Echo yesterday that Miss Atkin was a drug user. This is incorrect, and we are happy to make it clear she did not take illegal drugs. Toxicology results showed that she only used prescription medication. We apologise for any distress this caused family and friends.