More Christian love - Father kills son for god

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 has told a Greek court.

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 Hogan, 33, who also jumped 50ft from the balcony of their room clutching their daughter, believed he was "taking his kids to heaven".

Mrs Hogan, 35, had broken down in tears as she described the night, in August 2006, when Hogan gave her "a crazed look" and is believed to have hurled Liam from the balcony then jumped himself with two-year-old Mia. Liam died of head injuries but Hogan and Mia survived with broken limbs.

Mrs Hogan said she booked the holiday in the hope of patching up their marriage but instead it had been plagued by rows. Facing questions from defence lawyer Dimitris Xyritakis, Mrs Hogan said she did not tell Hogan she was leaving him during the trip. "We had talked about divorce in the past but never during the trip."

Mrs Hogan said that when she was pregnant with Liam, Hogan, 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, Hogan interrupted, saying: "She called my family a 'family of death' when my grandmother died one month before we went on holiday."

Mrs 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."

The jury of three men and a woman selected to sit alongside the three judges, were also told of a threat he had made to Mrs Hogan. Mrs Hogan, a nurse who divorced the defendant in June last year, told the court her husband said to her: "If you are going to live in a house with the children, I will burn it to the ground."

Hogan denies charges of murder, which carries a life sentence, and attempted suicide. He said, in a voice cracking with emotion: "I did not plan it."

The hearing was adjourned until Wednesday - a decision Natasha Hogan said she was shocked at, asking for her family to be left alone until the trial finishes. The panel will hear from Hogan before retiring to reach a verdict.

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Thursday, January 24, 2008