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Boy's custody death was suicide | Boy's custody death was suicide |
(20 minutes later) | |
A boy found dead at a privately-run secure unit 150 miles from his home committed suicide, a jury has ruled. | |
Adam Rickwood, 14, became the youngest person to die in custody in Britain in modern times, in 2004. | |
Adam, from Burnley, Lancashire, was on remand at the Hassockfield Secure Training Unit, County Durham. | |
He wrote to his mother saying he would kill himself if forced to stay in the unit, the jury at Chester-le-Street Magistrates' Court heard. | |
Jurors deliberated for almost a week after the month-long hearing. | |
Last letter | |
Adam was found dead about a month after being sent on remand to the unit, in July 2004. | |
He had suffered from mental health problems, drink and drug abuse and had suicidal tendencies, Chester-le-Street Magistrates' Court heard. | |
The last letter the teenager wrote to his mother was read to the jury. | |
It said: "I need to be at home with you. I need to be at home in my own bed or my head will crack up. | |
"I will probably try to kill myself and I will probably succeed this time. I can't stay in here." |