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27 January 2011
Last updated at 09:46 ET
An unlawful use of force contributed to the decision of a 14-year-old boy to take his own life at a youth custody centre, an inquest jury has concluded.
Adam Rickwood, 14, of Burnley in Lancashire, was found hanged in his cell at Hassockfield Secure Training Centre in County Durham in August 2004.
Hours before he died he was struck on the nose, using the Nose Distraction Technique, and carried to his cell.
He was the youngest person to die in UK custody in the modern era.
The inquest in Easington, County Durham, heard he was an "extremely troubled and vulnerable young man" with a history of cannabis abuse when he was sent to the centre near Medomsley, 150 miles from his home town.
He was on remand after he had been charged with wounding another youth.
System failure On the day he died, Adam had rowed with a female member of staff in the association area and was lifted by four care officers and placed face-down in his room.
The inquest was told that on the way, care officer Steve Hodgson used the Nose Distraction Technique - a sharp painful blow to the nose - to stop the boy trying to bite him.
His nose bled afterwards and he was left alone in his room to calm down.
Adam spoke to members of staff and he did not seem too despondent afterwards, but six hours later he was found dead in his room.
The jury concluded there had been a serious system failure at the centre which led to an unlawful regime.
The panel also criticised training.
Consultant forensic psychiatrist Dr Hilary Grant previously told the inquest that she considered the restraint technique and the use of nose distraction on Adam had more than minimally contributed to his death.
The jury found that Adam was unlawfully restrained and hurt in a way that contributed to his taking his own life.
They said more care should have been taken of the troubled and vulnerable teenager after his admission to the secure training centre.
Rajiv Menom, for the teenager's mother Carol Pounder, said the verdict condemned the Youth Justice Board and the entire prison system.
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Adam Rickwood, 14, of Burnley in Lancashire, was found hanged in his cell at Hassockfield Secure Training Centre in County Durham in August 2004.
Hours before he died he was struck on the nose, using the Nose Distraction Technique, and carried to his cell.
He was the youngest person to die in UK custody in the modern era.
The inquest in Easington, County Durham, heard he was an "extremely troubled and vulnerable young man" with a history of cannabis abuse when he was sent to the centre near Medomsley, 150 miles from his home town.
He was on remand after he had been charged with wounding another youth.
System failure On the day he died, Adam had rowed with a female member of staff in the association area and was lifted by four care officers and placed face-down in his room.
The inquest was told that on the way, care officer Steve Hodgson used the Nose Distraction Technique - a sharp painful blow to the nose - to stop the boy trying to bite him.
His nose bled afterwards and he was left alone in his room to calm down.
Adam spoke to members of staff and he did not seem too despondent afterwards, but six hours later he was found dead in his room.
The jury concluded there had been a serious system failure at the centre which led to an unlawful regime.
The panel also criticised training.
Consultant forensic psychiatrist Dr Hilary Grant previously told the inquest that she considered the restraint technique and the use of nose distraction on Adam had more than minimally contributed to his death.
The jury found that Adam was unlawfully restrained and hurt in a way that contributed to his taking his own life.
They said more care should have been taken of the troubled and vulnerable teenager after his admission to the secure training centre.
Rajiv Menom, for the teenager's mother Carol Pounder, said the verdict condemned the Youth Justice Board and the entire prison system.
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