POLICE trying to solve the mystery of a schoolboy's death in a road crash hope to question an injured teenager today.

Until they interview the 14-year-old, who is in hospital with a serious hand injury, they will not know which of four boys was driving a stolen Vauxhall Astra when it crashed in West Cornforth, County Durham, on Thursday, killing 13-year-old Liam Richardson.

Liam, from Ferryhill, served in the Army Cadet Force and was a popular pupil at Spennymoor School, where an assembly was held in his memory on Friday.

Experts finished their examination of the car at the weekend. It was stolen from outside a house in Ferryhill 45 minutes before the tragedy. The owner lives in Croxdale.

Two boys, aged 13 and 16, escaped without injury from the wreck of the Astra, which careered out of control, flipped on to its roof and crashed into a scrapyard fence.

Liam was confirmed dead at the scene from multiple injuries. The other three fled but were later traced and the 13-year-old and 16-year-old have been arrested, questioned and released on police bail.

The 14-year-old is in Middlesbrough General Hospital and has been spoken to by police but not formally interviewed.

Inspector Dave Hammond, of Durham Police, said last night: "We don't know who was driving until we speak to the lad in hospital and we are waiting for news of his condition.

"We haven't been able to talk to him because he needed an operation on his hand.

"We need him to put the final piece in the jigsaw."