THE family of a young man who died in a Greek hospital are hoping the Government will help them in their quest for justice.

North Durham MP Kevan Jones is this evening due to speak in an adjournment debate in the House of Commons about the tragedy of Christopher Rochester and the long battle his family have had with the Greek authorities and judicial system.

The Rochesters hope that the Foreign Office will take up the matter with the Greek Government and help to speed up their fight for justice.

Mr Rochester, 24, of Chester-le-Street, County Durham, died in hospital on the island of Rhodes in June 2000 after a fall from a balcony.

Three doctors were initially convicted of manslaughter through neglect and given jail sentences, but they won their appeal against conviction in February.

The Rochesters are now pressing for a retrial that would be heard outside the island, but fear delaying tactics could hamper their application.

Mr Rochester's stepfather, George Cameron, said the family's lawyers needed to see the judges' written judgement before they could press on with their retrial bid.

He said: "It should have been released after 15 days, but it is now three-and-a-half months and we still haven't got it.

"Our lawyers say there are two possible reasons. One is that they are finding it very difficult to put in writing why they didn't retire to consider the evidence we had put to them before announcing their verdict.

"The other possible reason is that the Greek legal system closes down in August because of the high temperatures.

"We have 30 days to file our case and, if they release the report on August 1, it will be very hard to track anyone down."