THE daughter of an elderly couple found brutally murdered in their home near York today told of the "living hell" she and her family were suffering.

Catherine Wilkins, whose parents, James Britton, 80, and Joan, 82, were found stabbed to death at their Strensall home on Sunday, wept as she spoke to a packed press conference in York.

Police are still seeking 34-year-old Mark Hobson in connection with the deaths of the Brittons, and the murder of 27-year-old twin sisters Claire and Diane Sanderson, whose naked bodies were found on Sunday at the flat which Claire shared with Hobson in Camblesforth near Selby.

Mrs Wilkins said: "No one can imagine the horror and distress that has been inflicted upon our family.

"The past few days have become a living hell as we try to come to terms with the shocking news that has left us devastated.

"The question we keep asking is: Why? Why would someone want to attack a lovely elderly couple who could harm no one?

"Why would someone want to take their lives and the lives of two young women? Our family has been rocked by the horror of all this as, I am sure, has the family of Claire and Diane, who must be totally numb at the senseless waste of human lives.

"You must know the damage that you have inflicted, not only on your victims, but their relatives who will have to live with this memory for the rest of their lives.

"They were a frail and elderly couple, who led a very quiet life. They were gentle, kind and liked by everyone in the village who knew them. They didn't deserve to die like this. All I can say to whoever is responsible is: 'Give yourself up'."

The man leading the murder hunt, Detective Superintendent Javad Ali, said Hobson was "known to have been talking about narrow boats", and appealed to boat owners and people on the waterways to keep their eyes open.

He also asked people in the licensing trade to be alert as Hobson "liked a drink" and may seek to buy alcohol from pubs, off licences or supermarkets.

Mr Ali urged people to check their garages and outhouses and asked the neighbours of those who had gone on holiday to check their homes had not been broken into.

In a message to Hobson, Mr Ali said: "Please take the advice of your mother. There is no hiding place for you, and sooner or later we will find you."

It also emerged today that NHS staff and patients in York may have come face-to-face with Hobson after the brutal killing of Claire and Diane.

Detectives were today studying CCTV footage, which caught him walking through the grounds of York Hospital at 2am, near the entrance of the accident and emergency department.

His mother, Sandra, was duped into driving him there from her home at Camblesforth, early on Sunday. Police said he was not believed to be injured. A member of staff at the hospital had reportedly seen somebody of Hobson's description inside the building.

Six hours later, Claire's decomposed body was discovered wrapped in plastic bin liners on the floor in the flat in Camblesforth.

Forensic evidence showed that Diane, who was found in the same room, had been sexually interfered with. A hammer was recovered from the flat. At about 11.30am on Sunday, the Brittons were found murdered at their detached house in Strensall Road, Strensall, only three miles away.

They had both been stabbed in the back. Mr Britton was found dead in the sitting room, and his wife in the hallway.

Mr Ali said there were no signs that the Brittons had put up a defence, which made the attack "even more horrible".

The nationwide hunt for shaven-headed, scar-faced Hobson continued today in connection with the murders, but officers admitted they were still no closer to finding him.

Mr Ali said Hobson was thought to know somebody in the Haxby area and appealed for that person to come forward.

Updated: 12:20 Friday, July 23, 2004