Leah Andrew, from Hither Green, south east London, appeared before a magistrate in Heraklion, the island's capital, charged with infanticide.

The Crete prosecutor's office said the magistrate would now decide whether she would be held in prison or released on bail before her eventual trial.

Police found the dead baby, weighing 5lb 8oz, in a room in the Natali hotel, Malia, in the early hours of Monday morning.

A coroner said the baby, which was discovered wrapped in sheets, showed signs of suffocation.

Andrew was taken by police from Iraklion University Hospital to give evidence at the hearing. She was being kept under police guard at the hospital, where she was taken after suffering extensive bleeding.

Police denied she was put on suicide watch and said she was being guarded by two officers simply because she was under arrest.

On Sunday, Andrew was on a night out with her 24-year-old sister, Lydia, and a friend. It is understood she had not told them she was pregnant, despite being just two weeks short of her due date.

She returned to the hotel at around 3.30am, where she gave birth alone.

Police said that when the sister and friend arrived at the room they saw a sheet with something inside. They did not open it but called the police.