Dead man calls his own funeral

A mobile phone connected a man to his family while they were at his funeral.

Danny Spohn's family had been told that he had been hit by a train after a body had been identified by his brother-in-law.

However, it turned out to be a case of mistaken identity.

When Spohn heard about his own funeral he tried to call his mother on her mobile phone. But it was answered by his sister, Debbie Mason, who initially did not believe her 'dead' brother was calling.

Mason said: "We thought it was a cruel joke. We were not about to put our mother on the phone.

"There was shock and joy. We were incredulous. It was a whole mix of craziness. We sent my brother Paul to get him. We were going to leave nothing to chance."

His dad Ed said that his son was a "free spirit" who often took off without notice.

"It's just a miracle he hadn't taken off fishing. We would have buried him," He said.

Police say they have now correctly identified the body found on the railway.