A police officer at the centre of a computer mix-up over the case of a young suicide victim is to be reprimanded.
Tragic Duane Syers, 20, made a desperate plea for help 999 call telling how he planned to hang himself.
But an investigation found a control room sergeant used only a computer reference instead of relaying precise details given in the emergency call.
Duane made the call detailing how he planned to "string himself up" from a tree and giving the exact location.
But the Cheshire Police HQ call handler relayed only the automatic computer mapping location of the phone box from which the 999 call originated.
An Independent Police Complaints Authority (IPPC) probe ruled that the officers involved should "receive words of advice" about the way the case was handled
The drama began at 12.35am on 30th July 2008 when Cheshire Constabulary received a call saying a man was about to hang himself.
The caller said the man had a rope and was going to hang himself in a small wood next to a supermarket in Kingsway South, Warrington.
But police officers - including a dog unit - were given only the location of a phone box "in Reynolds Street".
The phone box was on the corner of Reynolds Street and Kingsway but they were not told that the caller said he planned to hang himself at a place in that road.
Less than six hours later at 6.10am the body of Duane was found hanged from a tree at the exact spot he specified in the call.
He had told the operator the hanging would happen "in trees near the Lidl supermarket" and ended the call saying 'Goodnight, God bless, take care'.
The IPPC report said: "The officers were also not advised of the specific claim that the man was attaching a rope to a tree. The information supplied to the officers was that there was a man carrying a rope.
"If the police officers had concentrated the search in the area specifically given by the 999 caller he may have been found but it cannot be known whether the officers could have prevented his death.
"A police sergeant who was supervising the deployment will receive words of advice in relation to his failure to not adequately supervise the incident."
Ms Naseem Malik, IPCC Commissioner for the North West, said: "It is tragic that the help he sought did not arrive in time. My sympathies go out to Mr Syers' family.
"It is clear there was a failure by the call handler to record accurate information, compounded by poor communication by dispatchers to the officers dealing with the incident.
"These errors led to a considerable delay in locating Mr Syers' body.
Ms Malik added: "Failure to relay accurate information is becoming a theme of IPCC investigations.
"I hope Cheshire Constabulary and other police forces learn the lessons from these incidents to ensure staff are fully trained and aware of the importance of their role."
Heartbroken Duane Syers' mother, Tracey Syers, 42, has spoken of her anger at the failings in police procedure.
Speaking from her home in Warrington, she said: "We all feel let down by the police. I'm angry Duane made a plea for help and it was not responded to correctly.
"No amount of rage or 'what ifs' will bring Duane back but we intend to make sure this never happens again.
"The police admit there were mistakes and they need to learn from them.
"We had no idea of the blunders police had made until a few weeks after Duane's death.
"I listened to the voice recording of the conversation between Duane and the operator. He sounded like a completely different boy.
"I just wish the operator had specifically repeated Duane's location.
"It's heartbreaking. There is CCTV footage of police driving past the spot where Duane was found.
"The police dogs were called away from the search and never returned.
"We demand to know why saving our son's life was not taken more seriously.
"All this made our grief even more agonising.
"We will never know if his life could have been so easily saved.
"I've been wishing I could turn back the clock ever since that day.
"I saw him on the afternoon before he died, he was full of smiles and wished me a cheerful "Ta-ra!"
"I cannot understand how, despite his cry for help, he was left to die alone.
Duane was loved so much by all of us, he had so many friends.
"We have all been destroyed by what has happened.
"He was a wonderful boy, he had trained as a chef for a couple of years and dreamed of joining the army.
"But Duane had been feeling very depressed in the weeks leading up to his death.
"He had attempted to hang himself earlier in July, but an assessment of his mental health deemed it safe for him to return home.
"When he drank alcohol it made him feel worse, he would become very down.
"We're doing our best to focus on the future. We've been advised by the IPCC to start legal proceedings against the police.
"All we want is justice for Duane, and to make sure this sort of tragedy can never happen again."
A Coroner recorded an open verdict on Duane's death.
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