THE family of a tourist who died in a Greek hospital plan to take their fight for justice to the European Court of Human Rights.

The parents of Christopher Rochester, 24, of Chester-le-Street, County Durham, are taking action after the acquittal at appeal of three Rhodes doctors, who had earlier been convicted of his manslaughter through neglect and sentenced to three years in jail.

Mr Rochester died in the island's Andreas Papandreou Hospital, in June 2000, after falling from a balcony in Faliraki, but his family say he would have lived if he had received the right care.

They were stunned when the appeal court rejected their call to uphold the convictions.

Mr Rochester's stepfather, George Cummings, and mother Pam have also asked their Greek lawyer to see if there is a point of law on which they can challenge the appeal decision in the country's Supreme Court.

"We want the trial and the appeal to be assessed, the verdict quashed and a new trial held, preferably in a neutral country," said Mr Cummings.

"We are not sitting back and accepting it. It is unjust. If this is allowed to stand, these people can get away with murder."

The family, who have been supported by North Durham MP Kevan Jones, hopes to win the backing of North-East MEP Stephen Hughes in the latest stage of their campaign, which could cost thousands of pounds.

Meanwhile, Mr Cummings said the family would agree to the Greek authorities' request to exhume Mr Rochester's body for DNA tests.

His kidneys were removed after he died and one was subsequently returned to England, but the family say tests revealed it was someone else's.