Police arrest 17 people after man, identified as 19-year-old from London, died "within minutes" of being stabbed in heart in Malia
A British tourist, celebrating his 19th birthday in Crete, was fatally stabbed on Tuesday following an apparent dispute with other holidaymakers.
Party-goers in the resort of Malia looked on horrified as the teenager collapsed in a pool of blood in the first such incident since the tourist season began.
"There was a row, and then a fight, outside a bar in Malia," said Superintendent Constantinos Boukakisspeaking from Crete. "A lot of people were involved and a lot of alcohol was consumed. Already, there have been 17 arrests including the man who has been singled out as wielding the knife."
The victim, identified as Tyrell Matthews-Burton from London, died "within minutes" of being stabbed in the heart, despite efforts by paramedics to revive him.
"He was stabbed once in the back and once in the chest," Manolis Michalodimitrakis, Crete's coroner, said. "He was clearly pinned down and killed execution style, there were no defence wounds only a few bruises to the lower lip where he had obviously been punched."
The coroner, who examined the body at Crete's main hospital in the capital, Heraklion, said the Briton would have died almost instantly. "The knife punctured his lung and heart. There was massive and abrupt bleeding on the left side of his chest and he lost almost half of his blood."
The body is expected to be repatriated this week. On Tuesday night, flowers were spotted outside his parents' home in Forest Gate, north-east London.
Malia, with its bars, discos and clubs, is popular among young Britons.
Like Laganas, Europe's self-styled party capital on the Ionian island of Zakynthos, the Crete resort has developed an unwelcome reputation in recent years, with marathon pub crawls, often organised by holiday reps acting on commission.
"Every day we hand out pamphlets explaining the risks of such behaviour," said Zacharias Doxastakis, Malia's mayor. "We really want to improve the quality of tourism and we've shut down bars and businesses that don't obey certain rules.
"Our country is in crisis and we love all holidaymakers, especially the young. But there is a limit and they have to know that self-respect, and respecting the society that is hosting them, is one of them."
Shortly after he assumed the post two years ago, Doxastakis said officers from Scotland Yard also visited the town to advise local police as part of a wide-reaching Foreign Office campaign to rein in "bad behaviour" by Britons on holiday.
A visit to the resort was one of the first priorities of the new British ambassador to Greece, John Kittmer.
"Local authorities are working very closely with the British embassy," said the mayor. "Until today's unfortunate incident, the campaign had been very successful. Incidents of rape and violence have gone down. Malia had been quiet."
On Tuesday night, police said 12 other Britons were still being sought.
Those already detained, including the main suspect, also British, are expected to be brought before a public prosecutor on Wednesday.
A "sports disagreement" is believed to have triggered the row although investigators refused, officially, to divulge the cause of the fight.
Adulterated alcohol has also contributed to the ill-repute of resorts in Greece following revelations that bars frequently mix cocktails with pure spirit in a bid to make servings go further.
"The smell of alcohol was so strong it pervaded the room," said Manolis Michalodimitrakis, the coroner. "Nationals from every country visit Crete but in Malia it is always Britons who drink and become so aggressive. It is very sad."
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