A British schoolboy today appeared in a Cyprus court and admitted causing the death of his girlfriend in a holiday jet-ski accident.

James Dudley, 16, was on a jet-ski when it struck Hannah Sutton, 16, at the resort of Pissouri last Tuesday.

Dudley, from Colwyn Bay, North Wales, pleaded guilty at Limassol District Court under Cyprus law to the charge of causing death through want of precaution through recklessness or negligence.

He was taken into custody at the police headquarters in Limassol and will appear at court again tomorrow for sentencing. The maximum sentence he faces is up to four years in custody and a heavy fine.

James also pleaded guilty to two minor charges relating to illegally driving a jet-ski without a licence or completing the required official forms.

His family were hoping the youngster would not be held in custody before sentence - and hope he will not receive a jail term from the court tomorrow.

His uncle, Rhys Williams, was in court in Cyprus. Mr Williams said the youngster was "shocked" when the judge decided he should be held in cells. "James was shocked by that and clearly upset. He wants to be here with Hannah’s family. He has now got to spend 24 hours by himself in a cell."

Mr Williams, who accompanied the teenager’s mother, Janette, to court, said: "When a mother sees her son suffering, she suffers maybe many times over. It was all a bit of a shock, we were not expecting it. That said, it is apparently routine in instances where there are charges like this and involving foreign nationals. We weren’t told about this until after the hearing."

Hannah died in hospital of her injuries. Her parents, Lynne and Stephen, have said they do not blame James, and were angry when he was arrested and immediately locked up by police before a judge agreed to free him at a previous hearing last week.

Hannah’s parents said the accident should never have happened if the Cyprus authorities had enforced the law properly. Both youngster were under the legal age, 18, for hiring and driving jet-skis. Two Cypriot men, aged 29 and 45, who own and run the jet-ski hire firm, also faced charges but pleaded not guilty today and were freed to await trial in October.

James is hoping to be home in time for Hannah’s funeral, scheduled to be held in Dunham Massey, Cheshire, on Friday.

Mr Williams added: "From everybody’s point of view, James’, Hannah’s family, everybody hopes that there is not a custodial sentence, but there are no guarantees. We hope he can get back for Hannah’s funeral. We are just now in the hands of the court and hope for the best outcome."

Andreas Charalambous, defending James, told the court that the youngster succumbed to a momentary lapse while driving the jet-ski and has accepted responsibility - something he will have to live with for the rest of his life.

Hannah and James were both pupils at the private Rydal Penrhos School in Colwyn Bay, north Wales. Hannah had just finished her GCSEs and was planning to take A-levels at St John’s Middle School in Episkopi, Cyprus where her mother is a teacher. The school is for the children of British servicemen based on the island.

Hannah’s mother, originally from Sheffield, has lived in Cyprus for the past seven years. Mr Sutton has flown out to Cyprus from his home near Alderley Edge in Cheshire, bringing their two other sons, William, 11, and Daniel, 14, to reunite the family. Both families are staying at the British base at Episkopi.

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