John Hogan can return to UK says court
A GREEK court has ordered that John Hogan, the Bradley Stoke man who killed his young son when he threw him and his sister from the balcony of a Crete hotel, can return to the UK.
An Athens court made the ruling this afternoon.
Hogan, aged 35, has spent nearly three years in a Greek jail and in a psychiatric hospital following the death of six-year-old Liam during a family holiday at the Petra Mare Hotel, in Ierapetra, in August, 2006.
He was cleared of murdering Liam last year when a court ruled he had been incapable of understanding his actions when he threw Liam 50ft to his death.
The court decided the tiler could be set free and allowed to return home to the UK "immediately".
The news brought an angry reaction from the family of Hogan's former wife Natasha Vasser, 36, who is now re-married and living in Australia with her daughter Mia – who was hurt in the fall, aged two, but survived with broken bones.
Natasha's stepfather Brian Chandler told the Evening Post: "Our concerns, as always, are for the on-going safety, security, and recovery of both Natasha and Mia.
"The prospect of John Hogan returning after just 16 months of a recommended minimum (by the Greek Court) of three years' detention in a psychiatric unit is simply horrendous.
"He will return, having pushed two children off a fourth floor balcony, as a completely free man, with no conviction of any kind against him, and will therefore be free to travel the world, if he chooses, in search of Mia, the daughter he tried to kill.
"This is a child protection issue which we intend to continue to pursue."
Witnesses in court said that Hogan "jumped up with joy", tears in his eyes, and embraced his mother and sister who were at the proceedings.
He was then rushed out of the court room and back to the Athens Psychiatric Hospital, where he has been staying for nearly one and a half years after being acquitted of murder by another Greek court in January last year.
Hogan's lawyer Kerstin Scheel, of Withy King solicitors in Trowbridge, confirmed the ruling but refused to make any comment on behalf of her client.
2 Comments
by Blooming henry, Are you for real ?
Sunday, May 31 2009, 8:24AM
“Katie, are you serious ?!
It seems Mr Hogan is not the only one with issues !.”
by Katie, Bristol
Saturday, May 30 2009, 8:00AM
“The poor man. I'm so glad his mental health has improved and that he is free again. He'll have to live with what he did for the rest of his life, and that's punishment enough. More than. He didn't do this because he's bad, he did it because he was sick.
His daughter will need to form some sort of relationship with him over the years so she can better understand what happened to her and her brother. She also needs to understand the mental health issues she or her own children might have in the future, and being told her father was a monster isn't going to help.”