Tyrell Burton, 19, from London, believed to be the young man who was stabbed to death in Malia, Crete
More than a dozen
British tourists have appeared in court on a Greek holiday island after a
mass brawl in which one Briton was pinned down and stabbed to death
'execution-style'.
The
youths were taken to stand before the prosecutor on Crete today
following the death of 19-year-old Tyrell Matthews-Burton, from Leyton,
east London, who was stabbed through the heart.
Police
have questioned one British tourist, also 19, on suspicion of fatally
stabbing Mr Matthews-Burton, and have detained 14 others after the
incident which occurred in the early hours of yesterday.
Today
relatives of those arrested said Greek police had simply rounded up
everyone who had visited the club that night, irrespective of whether
they had been involved or even there at the time of the brawl.
The
mother of one of the Britons arrested told MailOnline: 'In those clubs
you need ID to get in, so the police simply went around all the hotels
arresting everyone who had been there that night, including my son.
'My
son didn't know the man who died, and wasn't there when it happened -
he had left earlier with some girls. But they arrested him and put him
in handcuffs to take him to court.'
Several
of the young men arrested rang their families to tell them they were
asked to appear before the court one by one so that a lawyer could
decide if they were to be charged or not.
One
mother said: 'My son was privately-educated and he is a stockbroker.
He had nothing do with it but has been arrested anyway. The police just
rounded everyone up.'
A friend of one of the young men who
had blood on his shirt said he was a friend of Mr Matthews-Burton, who
had tried to help the teenager after he was fatally injured.
He
said: 'He and Tyrell were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time.
It was nothing to do with gangs - they had just gone on holiday with a
group of five friends and it was just bad luck.'
An
ambulance was called to the brawl outside the closed bar in the popular
town of Malia, which is known for its wild nightlife, but the young man
is believed to have died on his way to hospital.
Today Greek coroner Manolis Michalodimitrakis said: 'There were two stab wounds, to the back and to the chest.
'He was clearly pinned down and killed execution style - there were no defence wounds.
'The knife punctured his lung and heart. He lost almost half of his blood.'
Harry
Nye, 18, from Kent, said he witnessed the fight, which is understood to
have taken place outside the Safari Club in the resort.
He told the Daily Mirror: 'We saw one guy having his head stamped on and this other lad just fell straight. I've never seen that much blood.'
A British tourist with blood on his T-shirt is
taken to a prosecutor today after Tyrell Matthews-Burton was fatally
stabbed - today a relative of his said he was a friend of Tyrell who had
tried to help his fatally injured friend
Handcuffed and with blood on his top, a British tourist covers his face as he arrives in Heraklion Court on Crete
The young Britons appeared in Heraklion Court this morning in relation to the incident in Malia yesterday
Police said there had been a mass brawl involving up to 30 Britons outside the closed bar in the resort
A spokesman for the Foreign and
Commonwealth Office said: 'We can confirm the death of a British
national in Malia, Greece on 23 July.
He added: 'We are aware of the arrests of a number of British nationals in Malia, Crete, on July 23.
'We are in touch with the local authorities and stand ready to provide consular assistance.'
Authorities on the island which is
popular with young British tourists on a budget said a post-mortem would
be conducted on Crete before the body was repatriated.
Mourners took to Twitter to post tributes to the young man who died.
Chardae
Denelle posted: 'R.I.P Tyrell. My prayers are with your family right
now and to all the boys who are still out in Malia.'
Handcuffed together, the young British tourists were hauled before the court on the holiday island today
Relatives of some of those arrested said police had simply rounded up everyone who had visited the club that night
The Britons were taken to appear before the prosecutor today, a day after Mr Matthews-Burton died in Malia
The man was found dead in front of a closed bar after being stabbed in the chest
Policemen enter their vehicle outside the place
where a 19-year-old British tourist was found dead. Another British
tourist of the same age was arrested today
WalcottLue tweeted: 'Tyrell my
brother, God is with you now. May peace be brought to his family &
loved ones. RIP. We won't forget you xx.'
DJ Tim Westood also posted a tweet saying 'Saddest nite in Malia'.
Karel Francis, 24, a friend of Mr Matthews-Burton, who was known by the nickname Sterling, told the Sun: 'He must have been at the wrong place at the wrong time. I'd never have suspected that.'
Malia is a popular holiday
destination for hordes of young Britons who flock there each summer to
enjoy the night-life and sun.
The
Cretan holiday resort was the setting for the 2011 comedy film The
Inbetweeners Movie, in which four young men went on a 'lads' holiday'.
DJ Tim Westwood tweeted after the young man died during a night out in the Cretan holiday resort of Malia
Malia is a popular holiday spot for Britons and is known for its nightlife (file picture)
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