Family mistakenly told that missing son boarded flight home
The police has apologised to an Irish student's family after he went missing in London and they were informed that he had boarded a plane home.
Patrick Halpin, 18, was found dead in London after falling from a rooftop of a Leicester Square building in February.
An inquest heard how the student had been on a trip with his drama school which ended in a tragic accident.
A major search was launched for the teenager when he did not turn up to a musical he was due to attend.
The Irish Independent reports that Det Sgt Paul Stephens told the inquest in Westminster Coroners' Court that he had contacted the Border Agency to see if Patrick had checked in for a flight home and was told that he was with Gatwick Police.
Det Sgt Stephens gave this information to Patrick's family but it was not the case in a "cruel twist in this investigation".
The student had check in for both flights but was not actually on the flight.
His body was found hours later.
Det Sgt Stephens told the court: "I can only apologise for the system failure. It is a horrible thing to happen.
According to the BBC, Patrick died of severe brain injuries after falling from a height.
In a statement, his family praised social media for its role in raising awareness for his disappearance. They also thanked police for "tirelessly" working to find the teenager who will be "sadly missed".
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