CRUELLEST FATHER'S DAY FOR HOSTAGE FAMILY; Scot is confirmed as victim of Iraqi fanatics.

Byline: Jack Mathieson

SCOTS dad Jason Creswell was yesterday confirmed as one of the dead British hostages in Iraq.

Security guard Jason's body was one of two passed to authorities in Baghdad by militants.

The other remains were those of Jason Swindlehurst, from Lancashire. Their families were told the heartbreaking news on Father's Day.

Jason, from Glasgow, and his colleague were among five contractors seized in May 2007 at the Iraqi Finance Ministry by armed men wearing police uniforms.

Regret

Last night, mystery still surrounded the fate of the others, including a dad-of-two from Dumbarton, named only as Alan.

Their relatives face an agonising wait to see if they are safe.

Alan's dad Dennis admitted the identification of the decomposed bodies - handed over to the UK embassy by Shia militiamen on Friday - had brought mixed emotions.

He told the Record: "It's very bittersweet. I'm so mixed up."

A Foreign Office spokeswoman said they had informed the families of the dead men "with deep regret".

The cause of their deaths has not been released. But the identifications, through forensic tests, were "based on very strong indications".

She added: "We continue to do everything we can towards the safe release of the other hostages."

Four of the men worked as security guards to the fifth, IT consultant Peter Moore, from Lincoln. The other kidnapped guard has been named as Alec, from south Wales.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown said yesterday's news was the "worst possible" for the families involved. He added: "I want to send them our very sincere condolences."

Brown also called for the release of the other captives.

He said: "There is no justification for hostage-taking and I call on those holding them to release them immediately."

One military expert believes the other men are still alive as the handing over of bodies "suggests a very deliberate act on behalf of the captors". Retired Captain Doug Beattie said: "We must all be very careful not to endanger the lives of those still being held, but there is every reason to hope and believe they are still alive.

"There will be deep, deep negotiations going on."

It's has been an agonising effort to have the hostages freed.

A letter from Jason Creswell's seven-year-old daughter Maddi was published on the eve of the anniversary of the abduction on May 28 this year.

The heartbreaking note in the little girl's handwriting told of her love for her"daddy".

It promised Jason she was doing very well at school and added that she and the rest of his family "will never give up until you come home." It was signed with her name and kisses.

In July last year, a video from the captors claimed Jason Swindlehurst had killed himself four days short of the first anniversary of their abduction.

Scots hostage Alan also featured, saying: "Physically, I'm not doing well. Psychologically, I'm doing a lot worse. I want to see my family again."

Suspicion

Responsibility for the kidnapping was at first pinned on Muqtada al-Sadr's Mahdi Army.

It was thought to be a retaliatory attack for the killing by British forces of the militia's commander in Basra a week earlier.

The release of a leading Iraqi militant by US forces earlier this month had sparked fresh hopes the hostages could be freed.

They handed Shiite insurgent Laith al-Khazali over to the Iraqi authorities on June 6.

Al-Khazali is a senior member of Asaib Ahl al-Haq, or the League of the Righteous, who have been linked to the kidnapping.

But Al-Sadr's followers denied responsibility and suspicion later fell on splinter groups controlled by Iran.

CAPTION(S):

POIGNANT PICTURE: Iraqi terrorists' victim security guard Jason Creswell with his daughter Maddi when she was a baby. She wrote to him after his capture MYSTERY: Jason Swindlehurst, left, is dead but the fate of the Scot named only as Alan is unclear