A teenage inmate died in a fire in his cell just two days after being taken off suicide watch, an inquest jury heard.

David Grewcock (19) died from inhaling smoke and fumes after the blaze at Glen Parva Young Offenders' Institute, Glen Parva.

The inquest heard the fatal blaze happened on July 4, 2007, three weeks into Mr Grewcock's nine-month sentence at Glen Parva for breach of a suspended licence and possession of a fake gun.

He was put on suicide watch from June 22 until July 2 after handing a note to a prison officer which indicated he was going to kill himself.

Mr Grewcock's suicide note was read out to the jury on the opening day of the inquest at Leicester Town Hall yesterday.

His note, believed to have been written on June 22, read: "Suicide is of the essence and is getting closer. It is nearly six years this Sunday June 24 when something happened in my life.

"No-one at unit 11, including members of staff, is approachable. I am cutting my arms and legs."

Mr Grewcock added in his note that his cell-mate was "making me feel suicidal".

It is thought the "something" mentioned in the note was a reference to Mr Grewcock being raped at the age of 13.

Glen Parva staff nurse Ryan Price carried out an assessment of Mr Grewcock after being told about the suicide note.

He said Mr Grewcock had described the note as "nonsense" and insisted it had been "taken out of context".

"He gave me a categorical assurance that he had no intention of taking his own life," said Mr Price.

However, the nurse asked prison staff to begin a suicide watch on Mr Grewcock, who had a history of self-harm and was also a recovering alcoholic.

Mr Price added: "He didn't think his self-harming was dangerous because he saw it as a release for his own anger."

His mother, Paula Grewcock, told the inquest that his father had committed suicide when he was just seven.

She said her son "went off the rails" at 16 when he joined a gang in his home city of Coventry and began drinking and taking drugs.

Mrs Grewcock said he went from being a "loving, cheeky, mischievous lad" to a teenager who stayed out all night and was prone to mood swings.

Pathologist Dr Dennis Bouch gave the cause of death as smoke inhalation after finding high levels of carbon monoxide and cyanide in his body.

The inquest is expected to last two weeks.