David Green

David Green, 15, was a White teenage boy from Hartlepool in north-east England. He was one of four children of David and Barbara Green.

David had a history of taking strong prescription sleeping pills. He was arrested in 1997 and taken to Hartlepool Police Station. Despite warning the police officers that he was going to hurt himself and the officers noting that he was under the influence of either drink or drugs, he was placed in an adult cell.

After a police interview where he had admitted to taking temazepam and drinking alcohol, he was returned to the adult cell where he ligatured himself. He had not been checked on for 50 minutes before an officer found him, despite guidelines stating that children being held in custody should be checked on more than once an hour. David died in hospital a couple of days later.

An inquest ruled that David died an 'accidental death' after the coroner had refused allowing the inquest jury to rule that neglect had in any way contributed to his death.

At the time, David was the youngest person to die in police custody. This case led to serious questions about police training for monitoring children in their custody and self-harm awareness.