A Greek woman accused of setting fire to the genitals of a British tourist in Crete is due to appear in court.
A Greek woman has appeared in court accused of setting fire to a British tourist in Crete after he allegedly groped her in a bar.
The woman admitted assault after dousing the man's private parts in alcohol and igniting them, but says she did so after being sexually harassed.
Stuart Feltham, 23, from Swindon, is recovering from second-degree chest and stomach burns in a private clinic.
Police on the Greek island say the tourist was drunk and had waved his genitals at several girls before allegedly groping the suspect.
Maria Fanoudaki, a 26-year-old student, said she poured a drink over Mr Feltham after he made inappropriate advances, but denied setting fire to him.
The man suffered second degree burns and is recovering in a private clinic.
She faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison if she is convicted.
The 26-year-old suspect handed herself over to police, claiming she had acted in self defence.
The trial in the town of Iraklion in northern Crete was adjourned until Monday.
She has won praise on Crete for what has been seen as defending her honour, the BBC's Malcolm Brabant said.
'Absolute nonsense'
Little sympathy
Ms Fanoudaki's lawyer Nikos Maniadakis said: "He fondled my client's breasts and buttocks and she poured her drink over him and left.
According to police the 23-year-old tourist was drunk when he dropped his trousers in a nightclub in the resort of Malia.
"Shortly afterward she heard cries and saw her friends trying to extinguish him."
The suspect, who has not been named, said she doused the man in Sambuca and torched him after she asked him to stop harassing her and he failed to stop.
The woman was charged with assault on Thursday after she turned herself in to police.
Many Greeks have been 'sickened' by British tourists' behaviour
The story has made national headlines in Greece, where some have hailed the woman as a heroine.
She will be questioned by an investigating magistrate in the city of Iraklion.
Mr Feltham's parents have insisted reports their son sexually harassed the woman were "absolute nonsense".
The case has been widely discussed on Greek television, and there has been precious little sympathy for the young Briton, said our correspondent.
Ian Feltham, 48, said his son was approached out of the blue by a complete stranger who threw accelerant over him.
He added that many Greeks are sickened by British bad behaviour in Malia and other resorts.
Stuart Feltham was at a bar in the town of Malia at the end of a two-week holiday with five friends.
A Foreign Office spokeswoman said: "We can confirm that in the early hours of Tuesday a 23-year-old British male national was assaulted in Crete.
"We understand he suffered burns on his chest and abdomen.
