THE devastated family of 14-year-old Adam Rickwood are demanding answers from bosses of the secure unit where he committed suicide.
Incensed and grief-stricken, his family have vowed not to rest until they find out the truth about his death.
Three weeks ago, Adam told his mum, Mrs Carol Pounder, of Harold Street, Burnley, that he wanted to kill himself.
The family believe that he was being checked every 15 minutes at the Hassockfield Secure Training Centre near Durham, but in the early hours of Monday he was found hanging in his room.
Adam is now thought to be the youngest boy in British history to die in custody.
Speaking from her Greenock Street home, Adams aunt, Miss Liz Rickwood, said: Its sick the way that this mixed up little boy has been treated. He needed help, not punishment.
She said that he was in a terribly vulnerable emotional state and relied on his family for support, especially when he was moved to the secure unit 110 miles away from home.
Adam, who had only ever been involved in minor teenage brushes with the law, was accused of wounding another youth with a bottle in an alleged incident in Accrington Road.
The former Gawthorpe High School pupil denied the charge and was bailed to live outside Burnley while he awaited trial. He allegedly breached his bail conditions and was placed at a care facility in Rossendale.
Adam really settled there and we were able to visit him every day. He loved cleaning out the chickens, said his aunt.
But this was only a temporary arrangement and the authorities soon found him a place at privately-run Hassockfield. He ran away because he knew that the van was coming for him. He was frightened, but he was still taken more than 100 miles away from his family, she added.
Visiting was restricted to two one-hour sessions a week on Wednesdays and Saturdays. And Adam took every opportunity to phone home.
But on Sunday the day before his bail hearing Miss Rickwood says that Adam phoned his solicitor claiming that his nose had been broken when he had been beaten up by two officers.
When his mother rang the unit to speak to the teenager, officers said that there had been some trouble and that the twisty nose technique had been used to restrain Adam. Mrs Pounder demanded to speak to her son, but was told that he was too upset.
Just hours later, Adam hanged himself from the curtain rail. Attempts were made to revive him, but he was pronounced dead at Durhams University Hospital.
A post-mortem was carried out by Home Office pathologist Dr Mark Egan and Durham Coroner Mr Andrew Tweddle has been informed.
Detectives from Durham Constabulary launched an investigation, but on Tuesday confirmed that Adams death was not suspicious.
But Adams family feel that there are still too many unanswered questions surrounding his death. And they believe that he should not have been at Hassockfield because the alleged victim withdrew his complaint of wounding. His aunt said: The whole family will not rest until we know the truth.
He told his mum that he wanted to kill himself weeks ago. He should have been on suicide watch every 15 minutes, but he still had his shoe laces and there was a curtain pole in his room.
Miss Rickwood also revealed that Adams injuries were so severe that the family do not believe that he had been checked every quarter of an hour.
We want to know how this was allowed to happen. If he had been checked every 15 minutes, hed still be alive now. Why was he sent so far away from his family at a time when he needed them most? And we cannot believe that he was too upset to speak to his mum on Sunday that just is not Adam. Why did Hassockfield not ring Carol to tell her about Adams death? Why did she have to hear it from two police officers? We need answers to all of these questions.
Miss Rickwood also said that the family has been informed that the internal inquiry process could take as long as 18 months to complete.
The family have enlisted the help of Inquest, a national charity which gives free legal advice to the relatives of people who die in custody, which has provided them with a solicitor. The private centre is run by Premier Training Services Ltd, part of Premier Custodial Group, based in Berkshire, on behalf of the Youth Justice Board.
Adams funeral will be held at Burnley Cemetery on Wednesday, at 1-30 p.m. There will be a service in the chapel followed by a burial.


MP DEMANDS INQUIRY INTO DEATH

BURNLEYS MP Mr Peter Pike has sent a letter to Home Secretary Mr David Blunkett calling for an urgent inquiry into Adams death.
I was very sorry to hear of Adams death and have written to the Home Secretary urging him to conduct a full and speedy inquiry into the circumstances, he said.
Mr Pike had been helping Adams mum with educational issues for some time.
And he believes that the investigations into Adams death should look at the wider issues, including the education system, to establish whether there were contributing factors.
His mother had been concerned about his education for quite some time and whether this had an impact on him remains to be seen, he said.
Mr Pike also expressed serious concerns about why someone so young was in a detention centre.
Even though I dont know the full circumstances, I would prefer young people of that age not to be put in secure units. Remanding in custody should only be used if it is absolutely vital.
At the end of the day whilst there are a lot of problems in such cases we have to try to ensure that the relevant authorities are held accountable and that such a tragedy is never allowed to be repeated.
I shall be expressing my condolences to the family and talking to them about what happened at the detention centre, said the MP.