A TEENAGE mother found hanged after a row with her boyfriend would never have left her young daughter, her mother said yesterday.

An inquest returned an open verdict on 19-year-old student Laura Kirwin, who died last November in the house in Langdale Gardens, Crook, County Dur-ham, where she lived with 21-year-old Michael Burn and Keira, now two.

Deputy Durham coroner Brenda Davidson learnt of events leading up to the tragedy through a series of statements given to police by Laura's friends and Mr Burn, her partner for the past eight months.

The friends told Detective Sergeant Neil Edgar that she had rowed with 21-year-old Mr Burn, who had pinned her against a wall, hurled books and shoes at her and locked her out of the house.

At about midnight, Laura had taken Keira to a house in Honister Square for the night, but had gone back home because the little girl could not sleep.

At 3.10am, she told a friend she was going to bed, but at 3.40am Mr Burn called 999 to say she was dead.

Det Sgt Edgar told the hearing, at Bishop Auckland General Hospital, yesterday: "Michael Burn said he was 'off his head' on amphetamines."

Laura had locked him out of the house but eventually let him in, he said.

She went upstairs to collect his belongings, but when he got tired of waiting he followed and found her hanging from the loft.

Laura's mother, Debbie O'Neill, who helped deliver Keira when she arrived early, in November 2004, now looks after her at her home in Stanhope, County Durham.

She said: "We are devastated by the loss of Laura, a beautiful, sensitive and talented young woman. We find it very difficult to accept that Laura would deliberately leave Keira for the rest of her life."

She said Laura was doing well at Bishop Auckland College and intended to start her own painting and decorating business.

She was planning Keira's second birthday party and had already bought Christmas presents.

On the day Laura died, Ms O'Neill was due to see her, and had spoken to her the night before.

She said: "Her health visitor, Sure Start manager and college tutor all considered that Laura was happy and settled. She was doing really well.

"She was pushed beyond the limits of human endurance on that night. We will never know what was going on in that dreadful last half-hour of her life."