A NORTH-EAST man was left to die in agony in a Greek hospital after falling from a balcony, his family claimed last night.

Chris Rochester, 24, of Chester-le-Street, County Durham, flew out to Rhodes three weeks ago to join his older brother who worked as a DJ.

He planned to be a nightclub barman in the resort of Faliraki for the summer season. But after only four days he was dead.

And a Coroner's spokesman said that a post-mortem examination performed in Britain showed that he should not have died from his injuries.

Chris's family says that doctors at the hospital in Rhodes diagnosed him as having suffered a broken spine - but that he had no such injury.

Last night, they described how he fell from an apartment balcony, had to wait 40 minutes for an ambulance, was misdiagnosed and shoddily treated in the hospital.

His girlfriend, Maggie Jones, and his stepfather, George Cummings, told a press conference at County Durham Police HQ that Chris's death should never have happened.

Mr Cummings, of Ullswater Road, Chester-le-Street, said: "Chris's fall was tragic but his death was totally unnecessary.

"We have been categorically told that had Chris received proper medical attention he would be with us today.

"It's just the greatest loss imaginable and that loss has been magnified a million-fold by what's happened."

Chris fell from a balcony where they were staying in the early hours of the morning. He had earlier been drinking with his brother Keith, 25, at a club in Faliraki.

Mr Rochester said his brother remained conscious after the fall and was able to speak, but by the time he got to hospital in an ambulance he was screaming in pain, while hospital staff seemed to do nothing.

After being told by doctors that Chris had broken his back, Mr Rochester left to arrange for a transfer to a bigger hospital. But when he came back a few hours later his brother was dead.

"It was not the fall itself that brought about my brother's death but the negligence of the hospital in failing to treat what should not have been a life-threatening injury," he said.

"The results of the autopsy here in England have established that the cause of my brother's death was completely different from what the hospital in Rhodes contended.

"My brother died due to the negligence of the hospital. The hospital diagnosed a broken spine where there was none."

Mr Rochester added: "To make matters worse, when I had to identify the body they initially showed me someone else's. Then we learned that they took one of his kidneys and taken all his clothes.

"He was planning on staying out there with me for the season - he had been looking forward to it so much. He was so full of life and now that has been snuffed out."

Chris's body was flown back from Rhodes on June 17 and his funeral will take place today.

A post-mortem examination in Greece concluded Mr Rochester had died of hypo-volaemic shock - the body shutting down with shock because of injuries - but findings from a second examination carried out at Dryburn Hospital, Durham City, proved otherwise.

The cause of death will not be known until the inquest, which opened on Tuesday, is concluded later.

Chester-le-Street MP Giles Radice said: "It is clearly a tragic case. I am asking through the Foreign Office for a full inquiry by the Greek authorities.