A couple trying to establish how their son died in a Rail accident are now using the Freedom of Information Act to try to obtain a secret report.

Ecologist Adrian Fowler, 29, was killed in August 1995 when he fell from a train at Oxford Railway Station.

Sissel Fowler, 63, of Squitchey Lane, north Oxford, and her husband Godfrey, 73, have been repeatedly told they cannot see a Thames Trains inquiry report, which was circulated within the industry.

Earlier this year, a two-page summary of the report's conclusions was issued to them by the Health and Safety Executive.

However, crucial witness statements from 10 rail staff who gave evidence to the inquiry were excluded and the Fowlers complained that not enough information had been disclosed.

The summary concluded that Adrian was late for the train and tried to get on it, but it was not clear if the train was stationary at the time.

Prof Fowler said he had now contacted the Freedom of Information Commissioner to try to obtain the witness statements after the HSE said it could do no more to help.

"I think this will be the last-chance saloon to get the information we want," Prof Fowler said.

"We have had an acknowledgement from the commissioner's office. They are obliged to take up the case and I think we will have to wait patiently for a little while.

He added: "Following the stories in the Oxford Mail people have contacted us to say that they support our case.

"A lot of people find it extraordinary that there is still secrecy after all this time.

"We are testing the new Act as a matter of principle, because it applies not only to us but others in our situation.

"If we are not successful then I think people will begin to lose confidence in it."

The HSE cited the Data Protection Act as a reason for not releasing the witness statements and said it had been unable to contact witnesses to get their permission.

Adrian Fowler suffered fatal head injuries while trying to board the train on his way to a job interview in Scotland.

There was a full inquiry into his death, but the Fowlers said the witness statements would provide them with vital information about train door central locking mechanisms.

The Campaign for Freedom of Information, which gave Sissel Fowler an award for her persistence in trying to obtain the reports, is backing the couple's case.

Spokesman Katherine Gundersen said: "We have been aware of this case for some time and have been advising Mr and Mrs Fowler. A lot of cases are landing on the commissioner's desk, but they should get a response within a couple of months."