Harold McGowan, aged 34, was a builder and night-club bouncer. He lived with his long-term partner, Sharon Buttery, and their three children. After an incident outside the club, he had been subject to sustained racial harassment by people purporting to be from the far-right group Combat 18. Harold considered the harassment so serious that he reported it to the police on three separate occasions, yet no action was ever taken.

On the day he died, he left to go to work and bought some sandwiches for his breakfast, as usual. On the way he stopped off at a friend's house, who had gone on holiday, to check that all was well. No one knows exactly what happened next. Harold was found dead by his friends and police later that morning. He was found tied to a door handle only two-foot from the floor. His car keys and the sandwiches that he had bought that morning were still in his van.

The police immediately told the family that Harold had committed suicide. This was before any investigation, any forensics had been collected, or any attempt to made to find the two men who had been seen leaving the house. Surprisingly the police had maintained their assertion that Harold had committed suicide, until very recently.

Jason, aged 20, and his wife had been enjoying the Millennium celebrations. He had left her briefly to go to the toilet, but he never returned. Jason McGowan was found dead in the early of New Years Day. He was found hanging from some railing by the side of a road. The railings were so low that he would have had to kneel to kill himself.

The families of both believe that they were murdered. They maintain that neither of the two deaths were properly investigated by West Mercia Police, and are demanding that a new investigation is now launched by Scotland Yards, Race and Violent Crime Task Force. West Mercia Police have refused to co-operate with this demand.

The families are now urging the Home Secretary, Jack Straw, to intervene and appoint the Task Force to lead a new investigation.