A mum fighting for justice for her disabled son has branded a Greek court "a disgrace" after it ruled they will have to wait at least another year for justice.

More than five years on from the attack that left former Sutton United footballer Robbie Hughes fighting for his life in a Greek hospital, a court in Crete waited until the 11th hour to adjourn the retrial of the gang convicted for the assault until November next year.

Mr Hughes and his mum Maggie, from Wallington, were given the news this morning after they and their legal team paid thousands of pounds for witnesses to fly out to the Greek island

Your Local Guardian: Robbie Hughes was left in a coma

Mr Hughes lies in a coma following the attack 

This week should have seen the start of the retrial of Curtis Taylor, Daniel Bell, Joseph Bruckland and Sean Branton, who last year were convicted of battering Mr Hughes outside a Malia nightclub in 2008 but appealed against the ruling.

Mr Hughes, now 32, was left in a coma for two weeks after being attacked and left for dead outside the Candy Club in June 2008.

After a four year fight - which included getting a change in European law to improve victims' rights abroad - the four men from Horley in Surrey were convicted.

But they immediately appealed meaning a retrial was scheduled for today.

Your Local Guardian: Joseph Bruckland (second from right) is one of six men accused of a brutal attack on semi-professional footballer Robbie Hughes while on holiday in Malia in June 2008.

Benjamin Herdman, left was cleared of any wrong doing but Taylor, Bell, Bruckland, and Banton were all found guilty.

The adjournment was granted to Greek lawyers because of a double booking.

Speaking from the court in Heraklion, Crete, Mrs Hughes told the Sutton Guardian: "It's an absolute disgrace.

"We've come all the way over here, we've attended the courtroom but the defendants' lawyers have called for man adjournment because they've got other cases on. They've given us a date of November 19, 2014.

"We've spent money to get over here, we're all here, people have taken time off. We've taken a split flight because there are no direct flights to Crete at this time of year and they've told us this.

"The defendants aren't here, apparently they didn't have to be here. The lawyers didn't even come themselves, they sent representatives.

"They were so sure they were going to get the adjournment but apparently we still had to come. It's ridiculous.

"Once again, the victims have no voice. All this is going on and the Government has not lifted a finger. I can't go and speak to the Greek ambassador but they can and they haven't."

The gang that attacked Mr Hughes stamped on his head and stabbed him with a bottle. As a result he had to have four operations on his brain and his promising career as a footballer was destroyed.

He played for Oxford United, Sutton United and Croydon Athletic but memory problems following his brain injuries means he now remembers very little of it.