THE stepfather of Jamie Gunning, who committed suicide at Reading Young Offenders Institution, has asked the High Court to overturn a verdict of accidental death recorded at his inquest.

Robert Mumford, 49, of Poplar Avenue, Pinehurst, has asked the court to overturn the jury's verdict and order a fresh inquest.

Mr Gunning was 20 when he hanged himself with a bedsheet while being held at the institution in February last year.

Earlier the same day he had tried to commit suicide in the holding cells at Swindon Magistrates' Court, London's High Court heard yesterday.

After becoming involved in drugs as a schoolboy he eventually slipped into a cycle of committing crime to fund his habit, but was never able to tackle his addiction.

At the inquest into his death the coroner refused to leave to the jury the option of returning a verdict of accidental death aggravated by neglect and in October last year they returned a verdict of accidental death.

Peter Fortune, for Mr Mumford, told Mrs Justice Rafferty that the standard four-hourly checks made on new arrivals at the institution had been "totally inadequate" in Jamie's case.

"At all times the authorities at Reading were aware, or ought to have been aware, that Jamie had attempted suicide earlier that afternoon.

"The standard level of observation was totally inadequate for this young man, where the opportunity for self harm is left to him. He should have been on constant, rather than intermittent, watch."

But Hilton Harrop-Griffiths, for the coroner, said only "minor mistakes" by staff could be pinpointed and neglect could not have formed a part of the jury's verdict.

After a day of legal argument, Mrs Justice Rafferty reserved her decision in the case until a later date.