A mother has hit out at the Greek authorities after her son was sentenced to jail during a crackdown on yobbish behaviour in the holiday resort of Faliraki.

Max Delahunty-James, 20, was convicted of indecent exposure and offending public morality following his arrest at 2.30am with 18-year-old girlfriend Kerrie Anne Pritchard.

A court at Rhodes' Palace of Justice was told Delahunty-James encouraged Pritchard, who was on holiday, as she pulled her knickers down and exposed her behind at a passing police patrol in one of the crowded bar strips.

Max's mum Denise, of Armadale Road, Chichester, said: "This is ridiculously harsh. It's just because they are cracking down on everything at the moment. All he was doing was goading his girlfriend."

Max, who lives in London, travelled to Faliraki to work in the leisure industry in May. He had met Kerrie Anne on Rhodes.

He has told his mother he intends to carry on working at the Greek resort after the couple agreed to pay about £1,260 each instead of serving seven-month jail sentences.

Denise has complained that her son had no solicitor or English-speaking representative during his trial.

She added: "He was obviously very worried. But it was such a minor incident where he didn't actually do anything himself - it wouldn't happen here.

"He's pretty annoyed they came down so harshly. The punishment didn't fit the crime. It's ridiculous.

"At the end of the day, no one was hurt, there was no fight and no drunken awful behaviour."

Greek authorities yesterday announced more measures to tackle drink-related hooliganism by holidaying Britons.

The latest rule bans large numbers of people from moving in a group between bars.

Gangs must now travel between pubs by coach and local authorities must be told of pub crawls a week ahead.

Meanwhile, the popular Faliraki nightspot where British teenager Paddy Doran was stabbed to death in a brawl is to be closed.

The owners of Bedrock Bar, where 18-year-old Jemma Gunning was arrested last week for flashing her breasts, have also been told it will be shut.