A GREEK hotel owner has been acquitted of negligence over the death of a two-year-old Blackburn girl in a pool.

The court heard how Kirsty Wright's parents Lee Wright, 40, and Linda Threlfall, 38, were accused of being "negligent" after allegedly falling asleep and leaving her to wander into a shallow spa pool. However her devastated mum has strongly disputed that claim and said they had just returned from buying souvenirs when the tragedy happened at the Ilios Hotel, Tingaki, on the island of Kos in November 2001.

Linda, of Pilmuir Road, Shadsworth, flew to Kos on Thursday after being served with a summons. The three-member criminal court on the island of Kos ruled unanimously that hotelier Constantine Ilios, 65, and his son Nikos, 37, were innocent.

The court was told they had taken "all necessary protective precautions" in the spa pool where the drowning occurred. Critical evidence was a written statement from a holidaying German lawyer who witnessed the incident.

He said both parents were asleep at the time and were not supervising the child.

Kirsty drowned in the spa pool in a depth of only 50cm (1ft 6in) of water, the court was told.

Linda said they had returned to the hotel from buying souvenirs and Kirsty had had something to eat. She said: "I'd left Lee saying goodbye to some friends at the bar. Kirsty saw her dad and shouted at him but when I got there she wasn't there and then someone shouted she's in the pool'.

"It was literally seconds. I was shouting for someone to help us. Her dad and her brother were trying to rescucitate her but not one member of staff knew any first aid and the ambulance took 35 minutes to arrive.

"We were arrested and held in a police station for four hours after our little girl had just died. It was like an awful nightmare.

"We were not asleep. It's upsetting to hear that because some people might think that's the case just because it's been said in court.

"The person who gave that evidence I'd never even seen him at the hotel.

"I didn't have an interpreter in court so I couldn't understand anything that was being said.

"We have independent witnesses to prove that we were not asleep.

"Just 15 minutes before it happened some friends had been filming her and you can hear my voice and see her dad on it.

"They killed my daughter and I want justice."