The parents of York hanging victim Kirk Edwards have been forced to wait more than a month for an official report into his death.

Kirk Edwards: parents still waiting to see report

Under new Home Office regulations, Irene and David Edwards are entitled to see the prison service's inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the teenager's death at Wetherby Young Offenders Institution in May.

But almost six weeks after the report was completed, the couple, from Lucas Avenue, Clifton, have still not been sent a copy.

Mrs Edwards says she has anxiously awaited the arrival of the post each day, only to face renewed disappointment.

"It's really frustrating," she said. "We really want to know what the inquiry has revealed about Kirk's death. It's an unacceptable delay."

Kirk, 17, who had severe learning difficulties, was found hanged in his cell on May 26, two days after being sentenced to five months by a youth court at Selby for offences including handling stolen property, possession of a controlled drug and driving a vehicle that had been taken without the owner's consent.

Letters written by Kirk to his family before he died gave no indication that he intended taking his life, and Mrs Edwards has raised a number of concerns over his death, including a number of strange and unexplained marks on his body which she saw when he was lying on life support equipment in hospital.

A letter she received from the prison service deputy director general Phil Wheatley, dated August 4, stated that the report had been completed the previous week. He said the service intended to be as open as possible with families and she should get in contact if she wished to see a copy.

He added that, on reception at Wetherby, Kirk had given no indication that he intended to harm himself, and had not therefore been considered to be at risk of suicide.

A Home Office spokesman confirmed that the Edwards were entitled under new regulations to receive the report, and would be getting it once the delays had been resolved, but could not say when. "It's just been a matter of pulling all the threads together, from the Coroner, the police and the prison service," he added.

York MP Hugh Bayley said after hearing of the delay that he would write to the Home Office to speed up delivery of the report.

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