CAMPAIGNERS are demanding a public inquiry into the treatment of children by the criminal justice system after a 14-year-old became the youngest person in the country to die while in custody.

The call came after Adam Rickwood was found hanged in his room at Hassockfield Secure Training Centre in Consett, at midnight on Sunday.

Adam's mother, Carol Pounder, of Burnley, Lancashire, said he was supposed to have been on a suicide watch after having threatened to kill himself weeks earlier. But she said that when she arrived to identify her son's body on Monday morning, she doubted the watch had been implemented.

Mrs Pounder, 36, said: "The cuts were so deep into his neck that he must have been there much longer than 15 minutes, and I want to know why."

She said she had been called by staff on Sunday to tell her there had been 'an incident' and that Adam had had to be restrained and would not be calling her that night.

Mrs Pounder added: "I tried to tell them something would happen, he was not happy there at all. I want a full investigation and, more importantly, want to know why he wasn't being checked every quarter of an hour as he was supposed to be."

The national Youth Justice Board has launched an investigation into the death, which police are not treating as suspicious. The campaign group Inquest, which monitors custody deaths, has called for a full independent investigation into procedures at the privately-run institution.

Magistrates had remanded Adam to the centre for an alleged breach of bail conditions pending his trial on a charge of wounding.

Deborah Coles, of Inquest, said: "The death of a 14-year-old while in care of the state is deeply disturbing and highlights the dangerous consequences of locking up children. The Home Secretary, David Blunkett, can no longer resist the call for a public inquiry into the treatment of children by the criminal justice system."

Adam is the second boy under 16 to die in the justice system this year.

The centre is run by Medomsley Training Services, part of Premier Custodial Group, on behalf of the Youth Justice Board. It caters for 43 teenagers aged from 14 to 17.

Premier spokesman David Hill said: "We are investigating the circumstances, as are the police and Youth Justice Board. We are all very sad and shocked.

"All trainees are on a routine 15-minute watch, while those under a high-risk assessment are monitored at two, five or ten-minute intervals. This individual was monitored every 15 minutes. I cannot confirm whether he made any threats of self harm."