British man charged over girlfriend's balcony plunge

A British man has been charged with attempted murder on the island of Crete, after his girlfriend fell from a hotel balcony and was impaled by an iron railing spike, police said today.

The woman survived the 21-foot fall and is in hospital in a critical condition with a punctured lung.

The incident occurred yesterday in the Mallia resort in Crete, where the British man, his girlfriend and his five year-old son from a previous marriage were on holiday.

The woman was cut loose by firefighters before being taken to a hospital in the nearby city of Iraklio.

Earlier this summer, a British businessman, 32-year-old John Hogan, was charged with the murder after allegedly jumping off a hotel balcony with his two children, killing his six-year-old son, Liam.

That incident occurred on August 15 at the Cretan resort of Ierapetra.