A devastated mother told an inquest how she believed her teenage son was being bullied by schoolmates before he was found hanged at home.

The inquest heard how 14-year-old Adam Grigg, also known as Adam Moore, was discovered hanging by his Sea Cadets white rope lanyard from a door frame at his home in Broadgate Drive, Horsforth, by his nine-year-old brother David on June 5 last year.

His older brother, Philip Moore, 28, attempted to resuscitate him but could not find a pulse and he was pronounced dead at Leeds General Infirmary.

Adam's mother Linda Marshall described her son as a 'quiet and sensitive child' who was an active member of the Sea Cadets and dreamed of joining the Navy. But she said he had been bullied by three boys at Horsforth School and on one occasion suffered a cut face during a school trip.

On other occasions he had returned home with spit all over his back while a note found in his schoolbag, written by several different people, said some 'very cruel things about Adam' including references to him being a 'mummy's boy' and a 'Navy geek'.

Mrs Marshall said the night before the tragedy Adam had enjoyed a Sea Cadets meeting while on the morning of his death everything had seemed 'perfectly normal' when she left for work. Mrs Marshall said she could only assume Adam had put his head in the home-made noose to try to 'make himself appear too unwell to go to school' or as a 'cry for help', wanting his brothers to find him but not realising that once the noose had tightened he would have quickly lapsed into unconsciousness.

Mrs Marshall said she had repeatedly raised concerns about bullying with the school but added: "No one seemed to be able to offer a solution.''

She added that she thought Adam may have been influenced by scenes from the horror movie The Mummy which he had seen a few weeks earlier.

Adam's form tutor Vivienne Forrest said the school took bullying seriously and had a specific policy on the issue.

Detective Sergeant Paul Malthouse, who investigated Adam's death, said there was no evidence that he had left a note or made any prior indications that he intended taking his own life.

He said when he interviewed the other boys they had said the note found in Adam's schoolbag had been written in retaliation for him calling them names and spitting sweets at them in class.

Coroner David Hinchliff said there was no evidence to suggest Adam intended killing himself and that if his actions had been a 'cry for help' that went wrong then that would constitute death by misadventure and on the balance of probability he was obliged to record that verdict.