GREECE:A father murdered his six-year-old son by throwing him from a hotel balcony in an act of "selfish love", the boy's mother told a Greek court yesterday.
Standing in the same room as each other for the first time since the fatal fall, John Hogan and his former wife, Natasha (35), clashed when he accused her of saying he was from a "family of death".
The court on the island of Crete later heard how Mr Hogan, (33), who also jumped 15 metres (50ft) from the balcony of their room clutching their daughter, believed he was "taking his kids to heaven".
Ms Hogan had broken down in tears as she described the night, in August 2006, when her husband gave her "a crazed look" and is then believed to have hurled Liam from the balcony, then jumped himself with two-year-old Mia.
Liam died of head injuries but Mr Hogan and Mia survived with broken limbs.
Mr Hogan's mother, Josephine, (65), who moved to Bristol from Ireland 30 years ago, spoke of her son's close relationship with his two children.
Giving evidence, she also described the traumatic moment she had to tell her son of Liam's death during a visit while he received treatment in hospital.
Natasha Hogan said she booked the holiday in the hope of patching up their marriage but it had been plagued by rows.
Ms Hogan said that when she was pregnant with Liam, her husband, whose two brothers had both committed suicide, began having panic attacks. She said: "I think his family history contributed to his problems."
Sitting with his back turned to her, Mr Hogan interrupted, saying: "She called my family a 'family of death' when my grandmother died one month before we went on holiday."
Ms Hogan replied: "He didn't mean to kill my children but I do know with his history of suicide that he should not have taken my children." With a parting shot, she added: "It was selfish love."
Mr Hogan denies charges of murder, which carries a life sentence, and attempted suicide. He has been held in an Athens jail for 16 months and has attempted to kill himself several times since his arrest.
He has been treated for clinical depression and his lawyers argued he was not mentally fit to stand trial.