THE parents of a schoolgirl who died from an overdose after running away from home have called for a change in the law to protect vulnerable youngsters.

The move came after a woman was cleared of causing the death of Darwen schoolgirl Melissa Strickson, who collapsed and died following a massive overdose of painkillers.

Sally Corkhill was found not guilty of the manslaughter of the 13-year-old at her flat in Sudell Road, Darwen, last October, by a Preston Crown Court jury who deliberated for just one-and-a-half-hours.

Melissa, of Tythebarn Street, Darwen, died after taking up to 100 tablets of co-proxamol which had been prescribed to Corkhill, 41.

The self-confessed white witch has pleaded guilty to four charges of child abduction and two of supplying a controlled drug to two of the three other girls who were in the house with Melissa, a pupil at Darwen Moorland High School.

Corkhill will be sentenced along with lover Lee Harrison, 31, of the same address, who has already admitted four charges of child abduction, in three weeks' time.

Melissa's parents, who have revealed how she had a history of running away from home, were said to be unhappy with the verdict and concerned the authorities seemed powerless to address the behaviour which led her to stay with Corkhill and Harrison.

The court heard how a fear of being taken into care had prompted the teenager to leave home.

A letter from Melissa to her parents, written while she was at Sudell Road, said: "I am sorry to put you through this, but the possibility of going into care is very close. We are safe and I just want to say I love you and dad very much. I will keep in touch." Det Chief Insp Neil Smith, of Blackburn Police, today said he thought the police had adequate powers when a child ran away from home. He said parents had a responsibility as well as the police and social services, and that they had returned Melissa home the 27 previous times she had gone missing.

Speaking after her daughter's death, Melissa's mother Sue Strickson, 35, said police and social services needed stronger powers to help children with a history of running away without taking them into care. She said: "This had been going on for 18 months before Melissa died -- she had been going into different people's houses."

Sue and her husband Vic, 50, told how their daughter's behaviour changed over the period she was staying at unknown adults' houses.

Vic said: "Her school reports got worse and worse but she wasn't always like that -- she was a caring kid and loyal. But she was easily led and thought she was invincible -- but she was only 13 at the end of the day."

Sue said if they told social services that Melissa had gone missing they would say it was a police matter but then the police would say they were staying with people of their own free will. She added: "We want to get our local MP Janet Anderson involved in changing the law. Children are our future and what sort of future are they going to have if there are no facilities in place?

"There was no deterrent for Melissa and she kept carrying on doing it and her behaviour cost her her life."

She added: "We didn't want to put her through the care system -- we just wanted to give her a short sharp shock so she would appreciate what she had at home. At the end of the day she can't have another shot at it but other kids can."

Andrew Nuttall, defending, told the court it had been entirely Melissa's decision to take the tablets and there was nothing Corkhill could have done to prevent it.

Blackburn with Darwen Council services has been conducting an inquiry into Melissa's case. She was not on the Child Protection Register although the council had been working to support the family.

Det Chief Insp Smith said the case was a tragic example of what could happen when drugs were not put under lock and key.

He said: "Cases of manslaughter by gross negligence are always very difficult cases but the police have fully investigated the circumstances and presented the evidence."