Balcony death family await report

Christopher Rochester died in hospital in Rhodes

A County Durham couple fighting to find out why their son died on holiday in Greece are facing a three-month wait.

Christopher Rochester, 24, died in 2000 after falling from a balcony. Three doctors were convicted of manslaughter by neglect but were cleared on appeal.

His mother and stepfather, Pam and George Cummings from Chester-le-Street, are now pursuing a private prosecution.

On Wednesday they presented their case to law lords in Athens, who will decide by April whether a retrial can be held.

If they decide the acquittals stand then that will be the end of it George Cummings

Mr Rochester, of Chester-le-Street, died of internal bleeding at Rhodes' Andreas Papandreou Hospital.

He had been left on a hospital trolley for three hours following his fall.

His kidney was also missing when his body was returned to Britain.

Doctors Stergios Pavlidis, Georgos Karavolias and Mihalis Sokorelos were sentenced to three years in jail but were later cleared on appeal in 2005.

'Positive signs'

In February 2006, three judges at Greece's High Court unanimously ruled that the doctors' acquittals were unsafe, but referred the final decision to the law lords.

Mr Cummings believes that a retrial is inevitable.

He said: "We'll have the law lords' report in April, and if they decide the acquittals stand then that will be the end of it.

"But the signs are positive. I think the fact that one of the law lords, the Attorney General, said he supported the High Court decision, says it all."

If a retrial goes ahead, it is likely to be held in September or October, he added.