WHAT happened in a court in Rhodes yesterday was scandalous.

The family of Christopher Rochester deserved better than the contempt with which they were treated by the appeal judges, who quashed the convictions of three Greek doctors who had been found guilty of the manslaughter of their son.

The doctors had been convicted in 2003 of manslaughter by neglect of 24-year-old Christopher, who died in hospital after falling from a balcony in Faliraki.

That verdict was delivered following more than four hours of evidence. Despite further evidence being made available, that ruling was overturned yesterday after a private five-minute discussion between the judges.

It would be wise to await a written judgement on why the appeal judges reached their conclusion before making a proper assessment of whether justice has been done.

But what is beyond question is that the manner in which the appeal hearing was conducted was a joke, and the lack of consideration given to Christopher's family was appalling.

For there to have been any confidence in the appeal process, the evidence had to be seen to be fully considered, and the grieving relatives should have been treated with sensitivity and respect.

Rhodes is a beautiful island and a spokesman for its tourism industry predictably insists that holidaymakers can have every confidence in medical services and the Greek legal system.

The Christopher Rochester case leaves a major question mark hanging over that assertion.