A YOUNG man has been found hanging in a suspected copycat suicide prompted by the death of a teenager in a detention centre.

Dean Taylor, 20, disappeared on his way to work in Hapton after becoming depressed following his release from a young offenders' institute.

His heartbroken mum Alison Taylor said he was found by his twin brother Adam hanging in the stairwell of a derelict house in Pendle Avenue, Padiham, yesterday afternoon.

He disappeared just 24 hours after 14-year-old Burnley boy Adam Rickwood was found hanging in a suspected suicide at privately-run Hassockfield detention centre in County Durham.

Dean, of Peel Street, Padiham, had been held at Thorncroft Young Offenders Institute in Warrington for an assault until April.

His family said he had felt safe at the centre and there are fears he may have lost faith in the system after hearing details of Adam's death, which has prompted a major inquiry.

Dean, who lived with his brother Sean, 21, and girlfriend Kirsty, disappeared on Tuesday after leaving home in his work clothes and had not been seen since.

His employers, plastics company Hepworths, Hapton, contacted Sean on Tuesday morning to say that he had not turned up for work.

His family had become concerned for his safety after he started to behave strangely by barricading himself in his bedroom at night to make him feel safe.

Dean, a former Habergham High School pupil, was last seen by Sean on Monday night when they all watched a film together before going to bed.

Alison, who lives in Brownsholme Avenue, Burnley, added: "Dean said he felt safe at the institute and wanted to go back there after he was released in April.

"He once sent a letter home saying there had been a gang rape, where five lads had raped an Asian lad. We don't know if that was a cover up for something which may have happened to him.

"He used to barricade himself in his room at night to make himself feel safe. This was quite strange because Dean had started to become depressed, he had never been depressed before, and was crying at night times.

"Something must have happened for him to behave like this. He was always the quieter twin and didn't talk a lot so if something was bothering him he wouldn't have told us.

"We have all read about the tragic Adam Rickwood story and we fear Dean has seen that and decided to do the same thing.

"We are all beside ourselves but at least we know that whatever was bothering him can't do anymore.

She added: "He had just started the job and said that he was enjoying it.

"We told the police about the derelict house but they didn't go in."

A police spokesperson said: "We can understand the family's concerns but we can assure them that whenever anybody is reported missing from home that we take the matter extremely seriously."