Briton cleared in Crete death plunge trial

ATHENS (Reuters) - A father who killed his son when he plunged from a hotel balcony with his two children in Crete, was found not guilty of murder but will have to undergo psychiatric treatment, a Greek court ruled on Wednesday.

John Hogan, 34, from Bristol, denied willfully killing his six year-old son Liam and attempting to kill his daughter Mia, 2, after jumping with them from the fourth floor of the hotel while on holiday in August 2006.

Doctors will decide on the length of his treatment in the near future, his lawyer Dimitris Xyritakis told reporters.

The court heard that the Hogans, from Bristol, had gone on the holiday in a "make or break" attempt to patch up their failing marriage.

John Hogan had jumped from the balcony shortly before the couple had been due to return home.

After the verdict had been returned, his former wife, Natasha Hogan, 35, issued a statement expressing surprise at the verdict.

As Avon and Somerset police constable Russ Jones spoke on her behalf, she broke down on the steps of the court as she revealed her struggle dealing with the case.

"We have found it particularly difficult to hear the circumstances of Liam's death all over again," she said in the statement.

"I have done my best to provide a balanced view of John and our life together so that the Greek court is aware of the troubled times in both John's life and our relationship together.