THE mother of a teenager who was found hanging in the bedroom of his care home has vowed to take legal action over his death.

Sean Edwards, 17, of Brunshaw Avenue, Burnley died at Crestmoor Children's Home, Rawtenstall, on November 15, 2006.

An inquest at Burnley Magistrates' Court heard how he had been discovered by care workers in his bedroom.

He had left suicide letters to his girlfriend and a care worker.

The inquest heard he had been placed in care in 1995 after his mother, Tasmin Ashworth, could no longer cope with his disruptive behaviour caused by attention deficit disorder.

A post mortem examination showed that he had not taken his medication to control the illness and had been drinking alcohol.

Sean was said to be deeply upset by the miscarriage of his baby in August, and had a very turbulent relationship with his girlfriend fuelled by alcohol.

He was also forced to leave the care home where he was staying with his girlfriend in Padiham and had been thrown off his college course, the inquest heard.

Sean, who also used the surname Ashworth, was then taken into Crestmoor, where he had lived previously.

Mrs Ashworth claimed care workers at Crestmoor had not properly administered his medication, which she believed led to his depression and his death.

Speaking at the inquest, Mrs Ashworth said: "His medication was a miracle cure.

"Without it he was a totally different lad, he would throw and smash things and was totally out of control.

"When he had it he was calm and happy.

"On the day he died he was happy and chatty, there was nothing to suggest he was going to kill himself.

"I want to know why he wasn't forced to take his medication."

The inquest heard that only days before his death he told care worker Steven Gray, from his former care home where he been visiting his girlfriend, that he had thought about committing suicide.

But Raymond Dixon, who was a care worker at Crestmoor, said that Sean had been acting normally in the hour before his death and that he had no idea that he was thinking about suicide.

He said: "I wasn't aware that he hadn't taken his medication and he didn't seem to be acting out of the ordinary.

"He asked for writing paper and envelopes but I just thought he was writing letters of apology for his behaviour to someone.

"He said before he went upstairs, 'I'm going upstairs and won't be coming back' but I didn't think anything of it."

Recording a suicide verdict, Coroner Richard Taylor said: "He was obviously very troubled when he did it but it was a deliberate act so I have to give the verdict that he intended to take his own life."

Speaking after the inquest, Mrs Ashworth said she was "disgusted" by what she had heard and she was planning to take legal action.

She added: "The system failed him when he needed it the most."