Bungling police advised fallacious household their son had died in automotive crash after ‘mixing up IDs discovered on the scene’

Police mistakenly told the wrong family their teenage son had been killed in a devastating car crash after being given his description and a photo ID card, it emerged today.

The unimaginable blunder – which saw the fate of two boys’ families swapped for 22 agonising days – is now being investigated by the police watchdog.

For three weeks following the collision near Rotherham on December 13, the parents of 18-year-old Joshua Johnson visited what they believed was their badly injured son in hospital.

In a staggering mix-up it was only when he started to regain consciousness at the weekend that it emerged he was in fact 17-year-old Trevor Wynn, whose parents had wrongly been told he died in the smash.

Today crucial new details about how the identities of Trevor and Joshua became mixed up were revealed in a hearing at Doncaster Coroner’s Court.

It heard that they were identified through visual checks, with no forensic tests carried out at the time.

On the night of the collision – in which a second teenager, 17-year-old Summer Louise Scott, also tragically died – police attempted to identify those involved using personal items recovered from the wreckage.

Joshua and Trevor’s belongings were found scattered around the scene after the Toyota – being driven by Summer – left a road and hit a tree.

These included a phone in a case which also contained Joshua’s driving licence, and a second phone plus a bank card both in the name of Trevor Wynn.

Neither was ‘physically about the person’ of the teenagers, the court was told.

Police used the information to contact Trevor’s mother Charlotte, who provided a college ID card, a description of his build and footwear.

Detective Chief Inspector Andy Knowles, of South Yorkshire Police, told today’s hearing: ‘That officer then took this ID card to Rotherham mortuary where at that time the deceased victim of the collision was booked in as an unknown male.

‘Upon considering the comparison between the male’s features against the ID, and also considering the descriptive details of build and clothing, the officer was satisfied that this was the body of Trevor Wynn.’

Trevor’s parents were subsequently given the opportunity to view the body, although the hearing was not told whether they did so.

Meanwhile the surviving teenager – now known to have been Trevor – had been taken by ambulance to Northern General Hospital in Sheffield accompanied by a different police officer, the detective said.

He had been ‘interacting with paramedics at the scene’, the senior detective said, but was then sedated as part of his treatment and underwent CT scans.

‘The officer describes being passed the name Joshua Johnson by officers at the scene, and was able to obtain a photograph from Mr Johnson’s driving licence,’ DCI Knowles said.

‘The officer liaised with medical staff and the photograph was compared against the casualty.

‘Those present were then satisfied that this person was Joshua Johnson.’

The harrowing mistake remained undiscovered for more than three weeks. 

It was only on Sunday January 4, that Joshua’s father contacted police to say he did not believe the teenager recovering in hospital was his son once sedation had been reduced.

Just over 7am the following morning the shocking incident was passed to DCI Knowles due to his role as a senior identification manager in the Disaster Victim Identification cadre.

He then launched an urgent forensic review and stopped relying on visual identification alone. 

The officer explained how he set out establishing the true identity of the deceased male with ‘no further reliance in this case on visual recognition as a form of ID’.

This was done using forensic odontologist Dr Roland Kouble.

Dental records were obtained, which confirmed that Joshua Johnson had died and that Trevor Wynn was the teenager receiving treatment in hospital.

Det Chf Insp Knowles – who was not involved in the original botched identification process – said he was confident the identification problems had now been ‘resolved to a high level of certainty’.

The court heard that an inquest had originally been opened in Trevor Wynn’s name on December 22. 

Coroner’s officer Siobhan Golightly said she was alerted to concerns about the identification on January 4.

She told the court: ‘At no point prior had any individual raised any concerns whatsoever which caused me to question the identity of the deceased.’

She said identification evidence was accepted at the opening of Trevor’s inquest based on photographic ID card and descriptions provided by the family and there had been ‘no reason to doubt’ the identification provided by the police.

Senior Coroner Nicola Mundy said ‘appropriate amendments’ would be made to the court records.

Joshua’s parents attended the hearing via video link and were offered the coroner’s ‘heartfelt sympathies’.

The case has now been referred to the police watchdog. 

The Independent Office for Police Conduct confirmed it has launched an investigation, saying it was ‘clear something has gone very wrong’ with ‘awful consequences’ for both families.

Jonathan Stoner, who had been helping to raise funds for Trevor’s funeral, told the Daily Mail: ‘About 21,000 things go flying through your head. How do you react? Are you happy? Are you sad? I just thought this is unbelievable.

‘They just went off of photos. Body wise they look similar but not in their face. 

‘How did they not do blood tests on the child to say it’s not TJ? Or how has someone been intensive care for three weeks and they’ve not realised it is not TJ. 

‘It is disgusting.’

Mr Stoner, who runs Ignite Strength and Fitness, has pledged to hold a further fundraising event for the family of Joshua this Saturday. He has also set up a GoFundMe here. 

Joshua’s parents described him as a ‘loveable, gentle giant’ who was ‘ever so genuine in his care for others’.

They said they would treasure memories made while travelling and stock car racing, an activity they said their son was passionate about.

‘Through stock car racing, we’ve built a massive circle of friends and we are so very thankful for the support they and others have shown us in the last few weeks and days,’ his parents said.

‘Neither us nor Josh’s brother can imagine life without him, and as we adjust to this new world and only just begin our journey with grief, we ask that our privacy is respected.’

The IOPC said it was notified by South Yorkshire Police that officers had initially told the family of the 17-year-old boy that he had died, while Joshua Johnson’s family were told he was sedated in hospital.

Today a spokesperson said: ‘We have now begun an independent investigation, which will look at the actions and decision-making of police involved in the identification process.’

IOPC director Emily Barry added: ‘My sincere condolences and thoughts go out to all those involved. It’s hard to imagine what these families have been through in the past few weeks.

‘It is clear something has gone very wrong with awful consequences for them.

‘We understand the concern about this incident and it is vital that we carry out a thorough investigation, independently of the police, to establish exactly how and why this happened.

‘We will carefully examine the circumstances regarding the identification of individuals following the collision, including what policies and procedures were in place, and whether they were followed appropriately, to determine the facts and identify any learning arising from this tragic situation.’

Following the crash, an 18-year-old was arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving, and a 19-year-old was arrested on suspicion of perverting the course of justice.

Both remain on bail pending further enquiries.