A FAMILY has welcomed a bid to prosecute Greek hospital staff who they believe neglected their son prior to his death after a balcony fall.

Three doctors and two nurses have been accused of homicide as a result of negligence in connection with the death of Chris Rochester, from Chester-le-Street, County Durham.

He died in hospital on the holiday island of Rhodes, hours after falling 40ft from a top-floor flat of an apartment complex, following a night out with friends, in June 2000.

His family became concerned after discovering that it took 40 minutes for an ambulance to arrive at the scene.

It also emerged that 24-year-old Mr Rochester was "bump-ed around" while awaiting treatment, before being declared dead at hospital.

His family were further upset when his body was returned to Britain minus a kidney. When they complained, a kidney was sent from Greece, but DNA tests proved it did not belong to Mr Rochester.

At an inquest in Durham last July, North Durham coroner Andrew Tweddle said hospital staff "ignored the most basic of procedures".

Mr Rochester's mother and stepfather, Pam and George Cummings, have called for the Greek authorities to take action against the hospital staff involved. Their cause was backed by North Durham MP Kevan Jones and North-East Euro-MP Stephen Hughes.

Now, Mrs Cummings has received confirmation of the charges in a letter from Alexandros Sandis, the Greek Ambassador in London.

"It is what we've been fighting for since Chris's death, because we knew immediately he should not have died," she said last night.

Mr Jones, the family's MP, said it was only their persistence which had taken the case this far.