Doctors accused over Greece death

Mr Rochester died of internal bleeding at a Rhodes hospital

The family of a County Durham holidaymaker who died in Greece have won the right to pursue a private prosecution against three doctors.

Christopher Rochester, 24, was left on a hospital trolley for three hours after falling from a hotel balcony.

Doctors Stergios Pavlidis, Georgos Karavolias and Mihalis Sokorelos were convicted of manslaughter by neglect but cleared on appeal.

Law lords at the Greek Supreme Court approved the private prosecution.

Mr Rochester, of Chester-le-Street, fell from the hotel balcony in Faliraki, Rhodes, in June 2000 and died of internal bleeding at the island's Andreas Papandreou Hospital.

His kidney was also missing when his body was returned to the UK.

Final decision

The doctors were sentenced to three years in jail, but were later cleared on appeal in 2005.

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

Mr Rochester's mother and stepfather, Pam and George Cummings, must now raise about £10,000 to pay for the private prosecution, which will take place early next year.

Mr Cummings has requested the hearing be held in Athens as opposed to Rhodes, where he believes the case is too well-known to ensure a fair legal hearing.