Balcony leap dad was 'distressed'

The trial is expected to end on Wednesday

A British man accused of murdering his son when he leapt from a hotel balcony while on holiday on Crete said he was in a state of distress at the time.

John Hogan, 33, of Bradley Stoke, told the court he had not been having sex with his wife during the holiday and thought he would lose everything.

His son Liam, six, died when he fell 50ft (15m) from the fourth-floor of the hotel room in 2006.

His then two-year-old daughter, Mia, survived. Mr Hogan denies all charges.

Family love

Mr Hogan described how previously, when he thought the relationship was over, Mrs Hogan said she wanted to get back together.

"I went to a nightclub in Bristol, my ex-wife comes up to me, tells me she still loved me and wanted to get back. I was with another girl but I decided to go back with her," he told the court.

"I will say this one more time only... I have never loved one woman as much as I have loved my ex-wife. I have never loved any other woman.

"I still love her. She is the mother of my children and I will always love her no matter how much pain she inflicts on me, stopping me seeing her children.

"I loved my mother, I loved my two sisters but I loved my wife and children more than anything. They meant the world to me."

Couple rowed

On Monday his ex-wife Natasha, 35, who was in the hotel at the time of the fatal fall in 2006, gave evidence.

Mrs Hogan broke down in tears as she described the night when Hogan gave her "a crazed look" before jumping from the balcony of the 227-bed four-star Petra Mare hotel, which overlooks the beach of Ierapetra.

She said she booked the holiday in the hope of patching up their marriage but instead it had been plagued by rows.

Before Mr Hogan plunged from the balcony the couple had been rowing as she packed his suitcases, she said.

Recalling that night at the hotel, Mr Hogan said: "I have no memory of the arguments. The only memory I have is of the suitcases and Natasha.

No memory

"I do not remember shouting, maybe I did. The only people who would know is Liam, who is dead. I remember the suitcases on the bed. That is it.

"[My] Thoughts are delusional after that. I had a thought in my head that my ex-wife was in the ambulance with me. That is impossible. I do not know.

"I have no memory of the ambulance now, no memory of jumping and no memory of the hospital."

The jury of three men and a woman selected to sit alongside the three judges are expected to retire to consider their verdicts after a closing speech from the defence and prosecution later.