THE grieving friends of a York man who drowned in mysterious circumstances have launched a campaign to solve the riddle of his death.

Ian Smith was cleared at Leeds Crown Court on Thursday of the manslaughter of Colin Fawcett, after Mr Fawcett drowned in the River Ouse in York.

The court heard that Mr Smith had stood on the riverbank and watched Mr Fawcett floating away to his death after "pushing and slapping" him.

Mr Justice Kay told the jury that the only evidence about what happened at the foot of Lendal Bridge on May 19, 1997, came from Mr Smith's statement to police.

He had gone to the police because he could not live with the memory of Mr Fawcett's face looking up at him from the river.

But what he said did not amount to a crime in law and the prosecution could not disprove what he said.

Now Mr Fawcett's friends have condemned the police over their handling of the investigation, saying they will not let the matter drop until the truth comes out.

Leonie Woodhall-James, a spokeswoman for the Friends of Colin Fawcett, told the Evening Press that "justice had not been done".

She said Bernard Douglas, Mr Fawcett's partner of ten years, was "devastated" and "bewildered" by the fact that his loved one's death had not been resolved.

Miss Woodhall-James said: "We feel that much information was given to the police and they chose not to use it.

"We're determined that this matter shall not rest."

But Chief Superintendent Gary Barnett, of York police, insisted they had conducted the investigation in "a comprehensive way".

He told the Evening Press: "We've taken the case to a coroner's court and a criminal court and maintained liaison with people all the way through it.

"It's difficult to know at this stage what more we could have done."

Mr Fawcett, 34, originally came from Bradford and worked at St William's College in York as a kitchen porter.

Miss Woodhall-James said: "Colin was a very kind man who was always there for other people.

"He is sorely missed."

A memorial service for Mr Fawcett staged by members of York's gay community is planned to take place at the site of his death in the near future.

* The Evening Press has tried to contact Mr Smith for comment, but without success.

Updated: 11:43 Wednesday, October 10, 2001