A man whose young son died when both plunged off a hotel balcony was charged in a Greek court today with his murder, as well as with the attempted murder of his daughter and attempted suicide.

Liam Hogan, six, was killed when his father, John Hogan, fell 50ft from a fourth-floor balcony during a family holiday on Crete. The boy and his sister Mia, two, were allegedly being held by their father when he fell from the building on August 15.

Liam died after suffering massive head injuries in the fall, but Mia, who landed uppermost, survived with a broken arm.

Mr Hogan, 32, who runs a tiling business in Bristol, suffered a broken arm, leg and chest injuries. Since the fall he has been held under police guard for treatment at the University General Hospital in the Cretan capital of Heraklion.

Wearing a beige shirt, Mr Hogan was held by the arms as he arrived at court in Heraklion this morning. He shielded his eyes from the cameras as he was helped into the courtroom and appeared to weep bitterly.

Greek officials gave no details of the private hearing, but the Foreign Office confirmed the three charges, including that of attempted suicide, which is a crime in Greece. A spokeswoman said: "We don’t have a date for the trial yet and he has been taken back to hospital. It was a closed hearing - only him, his lawyer and a translator were present."

Mr Hogan's lawyer, Dimitris Xyritakis, said that he would argue that his client was in a "state of confusion" when he jumped from the balcony. He said that he did not expect any trial for at least eight to ten months.

Yesterday hundreds of mourners gathered to remember Liam during an emotional funeral service at Holy Trinity Church, in Bradley Stoke, Bristol, a short distance from the Hogan’ family home.

Liam's mother, Natasha, 34, a nurse, appeared unsteady on her feet as she was helped into the church by her mother, Elizabeth Steel, and sister, Amanda Steel.

In a note left beside the floral tributes she said: "My dearest Liam, my ‘Boo-Boo’, you are so special to me and I will love you for ever. Everything you did, everything you were made mummy so proud. Have lots of fun playing in heaven . . . Until we meet again. Watch over your little sister for me, my angel. Thinking of you every minute! Mummy."

In a statement released before the funeral, she said: "I will always remember Liam as a happy little chap."

One of the two ministers who conducted the service, the Rev George Nuttall, said that John Hogan had a close relationship with his two children right until the tragedy occurred: "Over his six years, as Natasha has already made clear, her husband, John had been an excellent dad and all that happened was totally out of character." He said that Liam was a thoughtful boy who had "an older head on young shoulders".

"He loved his little sister, Mia, always hugging and kissing her, being very protective."

The Rev Paul Peterson told mourners that Liam had been an active member of the church’s holiday club. The congregation then heard his favourite tune, Pyramid Rock.

Liam’s grandmother was the only family member to give a reading during the 40-minute service. As she left the church, Mrs Hogan blew her son a kiss and then touched his coffin. She broke down in tears as the hearse then drove away. It is understood that Mia was not present at the service.

After the funeral, Mr Nuttall said that as far as he knew Mr Hogan had not sent a message or flowers.

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