A TEENAGER who died after taking heroin ran away from home on being "grounded" by her mother, an inquest heard.

Gemma Hunt, 16, of Queen's Terrace, Scarborough and formerly of Helmsley, was found dead by friends at a house in the town in May after a night out in a local pub.

Her mother, Caroline Jones, of Helmsley, said Gemma had become stubborn and selfish, but did well in her GCSE examinations.

After running away, she was found in the nearby village of Beadlam and was later moved to a foster home in Scarborough.

Mrs Jones said she discovered Gemma was drinking and taking drugs and believed she had been introduced to drugs by a Helmsley youth.

Two weeks before she died Gemma wrote saying she was trying to keep off heroin, although she was finding it hard.

"She was proud of what she had achieved so far," Mrs Jones said in a statement to the North Yorkshire East Coroner, Michael Oakley, at yesterday's inquest in Scarborough.

She was due to take a course on life skills. "It seemed as if she was trying to get her life together," said Mrs Jones.

However, she had been affected when she and her boyfriend split.

Stephen Mitchell said Gemma had been in a group who had been to a pub before returning to his home in Auborough Street. "I saw her take some pills but I was not aware of her taking heroin," he said.

Gemma had been drinking and smoking cannabis at his home. The following morning he found her asleep on a sofa. When he returned three hours later she was unconscious and she later died.

Mr Oakley, recording a misadventure verdict, said there was no evidence that Gemma had intended to take her life. "She was trying to be positive and keep off heroin, although she was finding it hard," he said.