'Journal' reporter, Michael McMonagle - who is on honeymoon in the popular getaway with his new bride, Roisin - was horrified to learn that a local man hacked off his girlfriend's head and paraded it through the streets.

"We were absolutely shocked by this grisly news", said the 'Journal' man.

"We are in the resort of Kamari, just a short distance from where this has happened; everyone we speak to here is talking about it and they are stunned.

"This place is paradise but this is like something out of a nightmare," he added.

The blood curdling orgy of violence began when 31 year-old Athanassios Arvanitis decapitated his partner's dog with a butcher's knife in the village of Vourvoulos, near Santorini's main town Thira, it emerged.

He allegedly killed 25-year-old Adamantia Karkali by stabbing her in the armpit. He then cut her head off and paraded it around the streets, earning him the chilling tag, 'The Butcher of Santorini'.

Arvanitis was shot five times by police as he tried to behead a police officer and was eventually arrested. He remains in intensive care. The authorities believe the deadly rampage was triggered by his sacking as a hotel chef.

Two doctors were seriously hurt when struck by a jeep driven by Arvanitis as he tried to escape while a Greek tourist was injured by a ricochet bullet.

People living in Santorini say they have not witnessed such savagery since Nazi executions during the World War II occupation.

However, the 'Journal' man and his bride, local schoolteacher Roisin are determined to enjoy their time on the scenic island.

"We have always felt perfectly safe and I don't think that will change because this was not an attack on tourists," Michael said.