A YOUNG Bolton holidaymaker has died after falling from a wall in a freak accident in Cyprus.

James Cook, aged 22, of Tonge Moor Road, slipped and fell 10ft while waiting for his girlfriend Kate Hewitt outside their hotel in the resort of Protaras.

He was taken to hospital with a broken leg but died after suffering breathing difficulties during the night.

Police are investigating the tragedy in a bid to determine the cause of his death.

Today his heartbroken father Andrew, described James as a "wonderful son" and said the tragedy had devastated his family.

He added: "Kate's father Ron called me and told me there had been an accident.

"I was in a state of shock. That sort of thing just doesn't happen."

James was staying at the Kapetanios Hotel with Kate, aged 20, her father and two friends.

It is understood the 22-year-old, who worked at IDN Computer Supplies in Bolton, was waiting for his girlfriend to fetch their hotel keys when the accident happened late on Saturday night.

When she returned she found James lying at the bottom of a 10ft drop between two pathways. He was gasping for breath but managed to tell her that he had fallen over a plant pot and slipped over the side.

He died during the early hours of Sunday. The cause of death has not yet been established.

Speaking from his home in Bolton, James's father said the family was devastated.

He said: "We're all in shock. We're still trying to find out what happened. It was just a freak accident. James was a wonderful son and a great lad."

The group had only been on the island for a couple of days.

A Cyprus police spokesman said: "We know James broke his leg after he fell about 10ft.

"The ambulance got to him very quickly and took him to hospital where he died."