Trial begins of men accused of attacking Croydon and Sutton United footballer Robbie Hughes in Crete

Curtis Taylor, 20, Daniel Bell, 21, Sean Branton, 20, Joseph Bruckland, 21, all from Horley, Surrey, Benjamin Herdman, 20, from Worth, West Sussex, and George Hollands, 22, from Reigate, were extradited to face trial in Heraklion, Crete.

They stand accused of a savage attack which left the semi-professional footballer needing four operations on his brain.

Mr Hughes was left for dead after being stabbed with a bottle and his head stamped on while on holiday in Crete. At the time doctors said he had 48 hours to live.

Mr Hughes, an ex-Sutton United and Oxford United player from Croydon, lost his memory as a result of his injuries and has spent the last four-and-a-half years painstakingly piecing together his early life with his family.

The trial of the six men begins today with Mr Hughes, 31, giving evidence.

Mother Maggie Hughes, has flown out to Greece to be with him during the trial.

She has fought tirelessly for justice for him and went to the European Parliament earlier this year to ensure people who are victims of crime abroad get proper access to medical and judicial services.

Following the visit, Viviane Reding, the European Commissioner for Justice, described her as a "wonderful woman" and said Mrs Hughes had been one of the driving forces behind making the bill European law.

After the attack, Mrs Hughes, from Wallington, spent day and night by her son's bedside for three months, praying he would come around.

Speaking before her departure for Greece she said: "When he did come around it was amazing, but it took a while to realise he had very little memory. We would talk about the old times and he would get frustrated that he couldn't remember them."

Mr Hughes is back playing football again and only just missed out on a place in the GB paralympic team.

This landmark case will be the next chapter in the 31-year-old's recovery and rehabilitation.