DEVASTATED parents whose son's body was found hanging from a basketball post in Nelson said today they may never know the truth of what happened the night their son died.

Ian and Violet Forrester, of Primet Heights, Colne, attended an inquest into the death of their son Andrew, 30, yesterday with a list of questions to ask his friend Damien Stacey, who was out with him when he died.

But Mr Stacey, who cut Andrew down and called the ambulance after the incident, refused to answer many of the questions put to him by Ian, Violet and East Lancashire Coroner Richard Taylor.

Former Walton High School pupil Andrew, a keen artist and heavy metal fan, was found hanging from a basketball post in Walverden Park, Brunswick Street, Nelson, at around 2am on March 6.

He and Mr Stacey, who had to be taken to the inquest from hospital, had been playing football and larking about with a rope attached to the basketball post during the evening, the inquest heard.

Violet and Ian said today they believed their only son's death had been the result of an accident when the two boys were "larking around", and that though Andrew had taken wrong turns in his life he was "on the mend" at the time of his death.

They said he had returned to his old hobby of art and had been teaching Mr Stacey to draw. Andrew, a keen artist, had a picture published in a book of Yorkshire Walks in 1996.

Ian said: "We will never be able to put this behind us.

"We have never believed that Damien did it but we have said from the start that we wanted the

truth and now we may never get it."

The inquest heard Andrew had had problems with steroids, amphetamines and heroin in the past, but had moved back home in 2002 and was "doing well" before he died. He had returned to his old hobby of painting and was looking for work as an engineer.

A home office pathologist found Andrew had some alcohol in his body, about three times the legal driving limit, and had taken prescribed anti-depressants.

The coroner said Mr Stacey had been interviewed four times in connection with the incident by police, who took no further action against him.

He also said a forensic science expert to examine the scene and concluded it was "highly improbable" that Andrew could have inserted his head into the noose without standing on something and that it would have been "extremely difficult if not impossible" for someone to have inserted his head against his will.

Mr Stacey told the coroner he and Andrew had been swinging on a rope attached to the hoop but that he could not remember the events exactly and had not seen what happened to Andrew.

He said: "I tried to save his life. I didn't watch him kill himself and I didn't try to kill him."

Ian Forrester told Mr Stacey he did not blame him for his son's death and asked him if anyone else had been in the park with them.

Violet asked what they were talking about and whether they had consumed any more alcohol, where he was standing and whether they were playing games but Mr Stacey refused to answer further questions, despite a plea from both parents.

Mr Taylor recorded a verdict of accidental death and told the parents: "I'm sorry Mr Stacey wasn't of more help to you.

"I am however pleased that we got him here so you could ask him the questions and I know that you will feel better that you tried at least to get that information.

"He and his friend went to the park that night and they were larking around.

"I agree with your belief that this was a tragic accident."

Ian said he had arranged for some of Andrew's artwork to be displayed at Barnoldswick Library in May as a tribute to his son."