Tourist Admits Fatal Stabbing, Greek Police Claim

Police at a Greek resort said yesterday that a 21-year-old British holidaymaker had admitted fatally stabbing a teenager with a broken bottle.

A group of 10 British men, including five from Merseyside, have been arrested in Faliraki, Rhodes, after the death of 17-year-old Paddy Doran, from Peterborough, Cambridgeshire. He was stabbed in the neck with a broken beer bottle in the Q nightclub in the early hours of Monday. He died on the way to hospital.

One of the Britons, who has not been named, is accused of murder while the nine others, aged between 18 and 30, are accused of assault. They were granted a day to prepare their defence before they are due to appear before a public prosecutor for arraignment.

Yesterday, Ilias Halivopoulos, the chief of police on the island, said: "Ten people were arrested and were led to the public prosecutor's office.

"One of the men confessed during the preliminary investigation that he struck the other man with the bottle."

He said the image of young British tourists in the resort had reached "an all-time low". Many residents call them "ugly Britons".

A postmortem examination was being carried out on Mr Doran yesterday.

Greek police believe that the trouble began when a group of English tourists began arguing with a group of Irish men.

A brawl broke out on the club's dance floor and then spilled into a bar area. British consular staff visited the 10 and offered them legal advice.

Last week Matthew Benney, 29, a tourist from Swansea, south Wales, was killed in the resort when he was run over by a refuse lorry.

In recent years, Faliraki has earned a reputation as a haunt for young British holidaymakers.

It was the setting for the ITV documentary Club Reps: The Workers.

There were 34 reports of rape among British tourists last year, double the number of cases five years ago.

The mayor of Faliraki, Yiannis Iatridis, said: "Something must be done to stop this outrageous behaviour. It is a shame because this is a beautiful place."