A GREEK court has continued to hear testimony from Newport nurse Natasha Hogan.

Mrs Hogan, 35, a nurse who is now divorced from the defendant, 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.'' Mrs Hogan said Hogan, then 32, became increasingly agitated before he jumped from the balcony of the 227-bed four-star Petra Mare hotel, which overlooks the beach of Lerapetra.

Liam, whom Hogan hurled over first, was declared dead despite his mother's frantic attempts to resuscitate him.

Hogan, who ran a tiling business in Bristol, 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.

Speaking to the court this morning, Mrs Hogan said the couple "dearly loved'' their children but their marriage was breaking down.

She said: "We loved our children so much but the marriage was not working. This had gone on for a long time.'' She said Liam was becoming upset by his parents' constant arguments.

On the night of his death, she got changed and took the children to the hotel's restaurant for dinner because Hogan was "agitated''.

She said: "I asked him to calm down because the kids were there. I bathed the children and then took them down to dinner.'' She then described how Hogan kept coming down to the restaurant in an increasingly "angry'' mood.

She said: "He said he wanted to be alone. So I left. For the next two hours the children were in the bar and he kept coming down. Liam was crying and crying.

"I said what is the matter and he replied 'You and daddy are breaking up'.'' Mrs Hogan then described the moment her husband jumped from the balcony with the children.

She had decided to take the children home early and went back to the room to organise the suitcases.

She said: "He stared at me with a crazed look and started shouting.'' They rowed about the way he was packing the suitcases.

Mrs Hogan went on: "He said 'My packing is crap. John's packing is crap'. I had my back to him and when I turned around no one was there.'' The court took a break after Mrs Hogan broke down in tears.

When the hearing resumed, the panel asked Mrs Hogan to describe her marriage troubles.

Hogan, who was sitting directly in front of his ex-wife, held his face in his hands as she spoke of his tragic past, including the deaths of his brothers, Stephen and Paul, who both killed themselves.

She said Hogan worked hard to care for his family but, since the birth of their two children, he had become increasingly depressed and unhelpful.

She said: "For me, the stress became too unbearable to continue. I was becoming stressed with the children and it wasn't a happy household any more.

"I wanted us to go on the holiday because I wanted a break away from the stress.'' She added: "I realised I did not love him any more but I wanted to try. By booking this holiday, I thought it would make sure.'' Mrs Hogan was questioned about "flirty'' emails she had swapped with an old schoolfriend in 2005.

She said Hogan discovered them and phoned her at work. He also found a Valentine's card.

"When I got home, he was very upset. We talked about it for a few hours and I reassured him that all was OK.'' She added: "I think John was concerned but he believed my reply that there was no physical contact.

"We had problems but we agreed to try for the sake of my children.'' Hogan's mother Josephine travelled to Crete for the trial, which is expected to last at least two days.

Hogan's murder charge carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.

His terrace home in Bradley Stoke, near Bristol, has been sold.