DETECTIVES hunting the killer of 73-year-old paedophile Robbie Hartley said they were facing a shocking attitude from the local community.

They said a weekend sweep of the area where the pensioner lived, in Redcar, east Cleveland, brought fresh clues that local people know who murdered him.

But Detective Superintendent Brian Dunn, the man leading the hunt, said the shocking attitude that police were facing was that because of Mr Hartley's previous convictions as a sex offender, no one seemed to care.

"People are coming forward with lots of information which fits into the bigger jigsaw as we piece together the lost hours of this sad pathetic figure," he said.

"However, we are regularly faced with the off-hand comment that everyone knows who did it, but that Mr Hartley deserved everything he got because of what he did."

Mr Dunn said this was a shocking indictment.

"Are people really content to let anarchy rule?" he asked. "Are people content to turn a blind eye when someone has been killed?

"This was a brutal murder of a man in his home."

He said Mr Hartley was a sad, frightened individual who lived in squalor in a dilapidated house in Queen Street.

For months he was targeted by a number of people in the area who stripped him of valuables and cash.

"Do people want to ignore this and let this man's killers think they had every right to do what they did?" said Mr Dunn.

"Someone in this close-knit community knows exactly what happened in the early hours of Saturday, November 29, between midnight and 1am when Mr Hartley was attacked.

"All it takes is one telephone call or letter to the incident room or Crimestoppers."

People with information are asked to call (01642) 302626, or Crimestoppers on (0800) 555111.