JOHN Renehan kissed the dad he thought he had cremated five years ago - and said it was `fantastic' to see him again.

Today the MEN publishes the first pictures of Mr Renehan's emotional reunion with 71-year-old dad John Delaney.

Yesterday we revealed how police wrongly identified Mr Delaney as a man who was found dead in the grounds of the Manchester Royal Infirmary in 2003.

Mr Renehan, his 42-year-old son, duly organised a funeral at the Manchester Crematorium.

Five years later he was watching a programme about missing people - and recognised his dad, alive and living in a care home in Oldham.

It turned out Mr Delaney, who had gone missing in 2000, had received a blow to the head and suffered complete memory loss.

Mr Renehan, an engineer from Didsbury, laughed and joked with his dad yesterday as they walked round the gardens of the care home in Chadderton.

They shared a cup of tea and a cigarette as they caught up on old times.

Dad-of-two Mr Renehan has been spending time at the home trying to help Mr Delaney - who still suffers from amnesia - learn about his past.

Mr Delaney, sporting a smart jacket and tie, smiled and held his fists up to his son in a friendly gesture recalling the pair's shared love of boxing.

In return, Mr Renehan planted a kiss on his dad's head and said: "It's fantastic to see him.

"We thought we had lost him."

Mr Renehan revealed his 11-year-old daughter had recently met her granddad for the first time and was now acting like a `care worker'. His aunts have also been to see Mr Delaney, making for a real family reunion.

Greater Manchester Police has admitted `mistakes were made' in the case and Mr Delaney should have been identified when he turned up, dazed and confused, at the Royal Oldham Hospital in 2000.

Mr Renehan and his family had reported their dad missing - and GMP put out a public request for information, including a picture of Mr Delaney in April 2000.

When he turned up in a confused state at the Royal Oldham Hospital just ten days later, police were informed but no-one put the two cases together.

As reported in later editions of the MEN, new chief constable Peter Fahy said yesterday he had `the greatest sympathy' for the Renehan family.

"This is an awful situation for the man to find his father is still alive and he's had no contact with him," said Mr Fahy. "I have the greatest sympathy with the family.

"I think the public will appreciate this is a difficult situation where you have a very badly decomposed body. We will need to review what happened here with the coroner."

The case leaves a new mystery - the identity of the man who was cremated in 2003. An investigation has been launched by Greater Manchester Police.
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