Amber Peat's biological father took aim at her stepfather at her inquest today, accusing him of treating the coroner's court as 'a joke'.
The 13-year-old schoolgirl was found dead in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire in May 2015 three days after she stormed out of her house after a row with mother Kelly Peat and step-father Danny over cleaning out a cool box following a holiday to Cornwall.
Kelly and Danny Peat failed to report her missing for eight hours after going to the supermarket, out for dinner and to the car wash.
Her biological father was given the chance to quiz her stepfather at Nottingham Coroner's Court during the month long inquiry into her death since he is a registered 'interested party'.
Amber's biological father Adrian Cook claimed he found out the teenager was missing on Facebook.
Adrian said to Danny: 'I have sat here and listened to the evidence and I think you have approached this as a joke. I think you have treated this whole courtroom as a joke.'
Amber's biological father Adrian Cook was at the Nottingham inquest today having claimed he found out the teenager was missing on Facebook
Kelly Peat (pictured today) had put her daughter Amber's disappearance down to 'attention-seeking' and had believed she would come back, an inquest has heard
Daniel Peat said to police that Amber's her 'only hobby was reading and she had no real friends'
He then asked him: 'Making Amber wash the dishes all the time, did you ever consider her emotional well-being?'
Danny replied: 'I saw her as my daughter, but obviously kids do have to have some sort of discipline in place. I didn't think washing pots was a massive thing.'
Adrian then asked if it was 'neglectful' that they had waited so long to report Amber missing.
Danny replied: 'I wasn't worried. I just assumed she would walk through the door. That she had had a strop and walked out and would be back soon.'
Nottingham Coroner's Court has heard allegations the 13-year-old was 'heavily sanctioned' for 'undesirable behaviour' – including being told to wash every pot in the kitchen and being woken at 10.30pm and forced to mop the floors.
Earlier, Amber Peat's mother denied her daughter had wanted to kill herself and instead claimed the teenager was taking part in a self-harming 'competition' at school.
Kelly Peat said her 13-year-old child's intention was to 'mark herself' rather than take her own life when she was found hanged in bushes in Mansfield.
She said today: 'We thought she was going to come back. I was just giving her time to calm down'.
Amber's mother also told the Nottingham inquest into her death that she had smashed her daughter's phone with a hammer during one big row.
She also admitted they would 'butt heads' over household chores but denied allegations that the 13-year-old was made to get up out of bed at 10.30pm and clean the floors for three hours.
Mrs Peat also sobbed as she knocked back allegations made by Amber's youth worker that she laughed when her daughter
