Eight-year-old girl found hanged in her bedroom

An eight-year-old girl was found hanged in her bedroom, police said today.

The girl was found at her home in Moor Street, Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, at about 9.15am yesterday.

Detective Superintendent Adrian Pearson, head of Nottinghamshire Police's public protection unit, said: "We are investigating the full circumstances of this death with our colleagues at children and young people's services.

"Detectives have interviewed both the girl's parents, while a five-year-old boy who was also living at the address has been taken into local authority care.

"The inquiry is at a very early stage, and it would be inappropriate for us to comment further at present."

A post-mortem examination carried out at Leicester Royal Infirmary last night confirmed the cause of the girl's death as hanging.

Specialist police officers are working with social services at Nottinghamshire County Council to find out how the tragedy happened.

Moor Street has now reopened following a full forensic examination of the scene, police added.

Police said the girl's parents have not been arrested but were interviewed under caution. Sources refused to say whether the incident is being treated as suspicious or as a tragic accident.

No one was in today at the rundown Edwardian terraced house in Moore Street, where the girl was found dead.

There were two wheelie bins, one blue, one green, outside the front window of the house. The blinds were closed shut.

There was also a wooden and glass cabinet standing outside the house.

One woman, who did not want to be named, said: "I don't know the people myself but it's so sad what has happened."

A 21-year-old student, who lives near to the house, said the girl suffered from learning difficulties.

He said: "The girl and her brother never came out of the house. You never saw them really. The family are very quiet apart from a German shepherd in the back garden. I've been here a long time but they never really spoke to us, although they were all right to say hello to. Yesterday there were quite a few police cars here and a couple of ambulances and the doctors."

He said the family had lived in the house for about six or seven years.