THE mother of the youngest person to die in police custody yesterday protested outside Lancaster Farms after another teenage boy took his own life.

Carol Pounder, the mother of Adam Rickwood who hanged himself in a cell at Hassockfield Secure Training Centre near Durham in 2004, spent Friday outside Lancaster Farms in Lancaster.

She was protesting after 15-year-old Liam McManus, from St Helens, was found hanging in his cell at the youth offenders institute on Thursday.

He had served half of a six week sentence for breaching a supervision order.

Liam is the 30th child to die in custody in England and Wales since 1990.

Carol, of Greenock Close, Burnley, was joined by her daughter Laura, her mother and friends including Yvonne Scholes.

Her son, Joseph Scholes 16, died days after the start of a two-year term at Stoke Heath Young Offenders Institute in March 2002.

Placards were displayed and flowers placed during the vigil.

Mrs Pounder said: "When I heard that another young boy had died in a similar way to Adam I felt we had to do something to attract attention and make the Government aware that we are not going to forget them, it is time something is done about it.

"It is dreadful that another family have to go through what we have been going through for the past four years.

"I told Jack Straw that vulnerable children cannot be treated in this way, I warned him that someone else would die, and I was right.

"There have been enough child deaths in custody and we want to make sure there are not any more.

"Why are children that are known to be at risk not monitored so this does not happen?"

Carol is currently fighting for a judicial review into her son's inquest, questioning restraint methods used by officers.