Friends of a child prisoner who died after being found unconscious in his cell are calling for a thorough investigation into his “unexpected” death.
Eder Duarte, 16, was being held at Feltham Young Offenders Institute while he awaited sentencing for stabbing another teenage boy in Brighton.
After he was found on Monday night, he was treated by paramedics before being rushed to hospital – but died there shortly before midnight.
Both the Met Police and the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman are now investigating.
Eder’s girlfriend told Brighton and Hove News: “He wasn’t the person everyone painted him out to be regardless of his convictions. No one saw him behind closed doors they only saw the persona he was forced to have when he was outside. To me he was so different and extremely lovable.
“His death has made me feel like someone has ripped apart of me from myself.
“We haven’t got the exact cause of death yet but it is being treated as suspicious. His body was a crime scene and we could only view him through the glass.
“We were denied a proper goodbye before he went into the morgue because the police needed to preserve forensic evidence on his body.”
A Met Police spokesperson said: “On Tuesday, 21 April at 12.05am, police were notified by staff at Feltham Prison and Young Offender Institution about the death of a boy who had been found unresponsive and later died in hospital.
“The London Ambulance Service were called at around 9.30pm on Monday, 20 April and treated the boy, aged 16, before taking him to hospital. He sadly died at 11.43pm.
“At this stage, the death is being treated as unexpected. No arrests have been made and enquiries remain ongoing. A post-mortem examination will take place in due course.”
A Youth Custody Service spokesperson said: “We were saddened to hear of the death of a child from YOI Feltham, who died in hospital on Monday 20 April, and our thoughts are with their friends and family.
“As with all deaths in custody, the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman will investigate. It would be inappropriate to comment further at this time.”
Duarte, who lived in Brighton, was due in court today to appeal his conviction for a stabbing in Lavender Street, Brighton.
But the hearing has been cancelled after his death in hospital following the attack at Feltham Young Offender Institution on Monday.
He was found guilty of the stabbing after a trial at Brighton Magistrates’ Court last year. His sentencing had been delayed until the appeal was heard.
Two other teens were also charged with assaulting the victim – one of whom was convicted, and one acquitted. They were also found guilty of breaching gang injunctions which banned them from being in each others’ company.
