ATHENS, Greece – A Greek woman went on trial Friday charged with setting fire to an alcohol-drenched British tourist who allegedly groped her in a bar on the resort island of Crete.
The 26-year-old student claims she reacted to the man's advances at the rowdy Malia resort by drenching him with a glass of sambuca — an Italian drink with a high alcohol content. But, her lawyer says, she denies that she then torched the 23-year-old man.
The victim, who has not been identified, was treated for second-degree chest burns.
"He fondled my client's breasts and buttocks, and she poured her drink over him and left," lawyer Nikos Maniadakis said. "Shortly afterward she heard cries and saw her friends trying to extinguish him."
Maniadakis said the trial in the northern Cretan town of Iraklio was adjourned for Monday to allow evidence to be presented on the nature of the tourist's injuries.
The woman was charged with assault Thursday after turning herself in to police at Malia, a coastal resort popular with young Britons. If convicted, she faces a maximum 5 years jail sentence.
Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox