Kidney family call on ambassador

Mr Rochester died of internal bleeding at Andreas Papandreou hospital

The Greek ambassador has been invited to meet UK medical experts following a request to exhume a tourist's body.

Christopher Rochester, from County Durham, died in 2000 after falling from a balcony on Rhodes, and was missing a kidney when his body was flown home.

An organ later sent out failed a genetic match, but Greek authorities refuse to accept the results and want further samples taken from the body.

A meeting arranged by Durham North MP Kevan Jones will be held on 9 May.

It will take place at Durham Police headquarters in Aykley Heads, and will be attended by Dr Paul Barratt, the pathologist who carried out the initial tests on the kidney.

Professor John Burn, head of Newcastle University's Institute of Human Genetics, will also be present.

Several DNA samples are already available, including one from a biopsy Mr Rochester underwent before his death, and it is hoped that the talks can establish there is no need for an exhumation.

Pam and George Cummings fought a seven-year campaign for justice

Mr Rochester's parents - Pam and George Cummings - who will attend the meeting with Kevan Jones, believe the Greek request is simply an attempt to discourage them from pursuing justice.

Mr Cummings said: "The Greek authorities are deliberately dragging their feet because they're backed into a corner. We're just trying to get things moving.

"Kevan Jones has written to the ambassador inviting him, or one of his representatives, to attend the meeting, so they can't say we're keeping them out of the loop."

Mr and Mrs Cummings, of Chester-le-Street, fought a seven-year-campaign to convict a doctor of manslaughter by neglect over Mr Rochester's death.

In February a Greek doctor, Stergios Pavlidis, was convicted and sentenced to 15 months in jail, suspended for three years, following the private prosecution.

Three doctors were found guilty of manslaughter by neglect in 2002 but were cleared on appeal in 2005.