Caroline Crouch's husband flanked by six armed cops as he arrives at Athens court accused of Brit mum's murder

CAROLINE Crouch's husband has arrived at court flanked by six armed cops after being accused of murdering the Brit mum.

Babis Anagnostopoulos, 34, is alleged to have smothered his 20-year-old wife to death last year in front of their baby daughter before staging a burglary to blame it on an Albanian gang.


Brit mum Caroline was found murdered in her Athens home in the early hours of May 12, 2021, and her husband told cops she had been killed in a botched robbery.

In the weeks that followed, Anagnostopoulos kept up his charade, crying to reporters, visiting his wife's grave with their daughter, Lydia, and comforting Caroline's heartbroken parents.

Police became suspicious when his story began to fall apart during an eight-hour interrogation before he was finally arrested on June 17 after making a shock confession.

He has been held at the country’s top-security Korydallos prison since, and arrived at Athens Court Complex ahead of his murder trial wearing a black suit, face mask and bullet proof vest with his hand cuffed behind his back.

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As he was taken into Athens' mixed jury court building – where there is a heavy police presence – a man in the small crowd assembled outside screamed: "Go to jail for life so you calm down." 

One cop told The Sun Online: "We had hoped to sneak him him early but didn't realise the media would be here then."   

Anagnostopoulos' trial starts today, and he is charged with premeditated murder, filing a false police report and killing the family's dog in a sick bid to make the burglary more convincing.

The dad later said he regretted his actions and will try to prove that the killing was not premeditated in a bid to dodge a life sentence.

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He told cops at the time: "I did not want to go to prison, because I wanted to raise my daughter," the 33-year-old was said to have told detectives.

Speaking to Sun Online ahead of the trial, the Crouch family lawyer, Thanassis Haramanis, said: "The self-confessed perpetrator of this crime has already proved that he will do anything to reduce his sentence.

"That is his goal, and we will see it being played out in court. But we are confident and optimistic, that justice will be served. He will not be able to hide."

Caroline was a Brit who grew up in Greece and met stated dating Anagnostopoulos when she was a teen, eventually marrying him.

Last May, Caroline was allegedly strangled in front of her 11-month-old daughter at her house in an upmarket Athens suburb.

Police found Caroline's lifeless body next to her crying daughter – who had not been harmed – later that morning.

A police spokesman said he found Anagnostopoulos handcuffed to the floor near Caroline and had duct tape over his eyes and mouth.

The family's pet husky was also strangled with its own lead and left on a fence.

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Anagnostopoulos told police how he "begged" intruders who he claimed broke into the house not to harm his family.

He is then alleged to have staged an elaborate botched robbery, placing baby Lydia next to her dead mother's body, drowning the dog before hanging its body from the stairs and trashing the home.




How you can get help

Women’s Aid has this advice for victims and their families:

  • Always keep your phone nearby.
  • Get in touch with charities for help, including the Women’s Aid live chat helpline and services such as SupportLine.
  • If you are in danger, call 999.
  • Familiarise yourself with the Silent Solution, reporting abuse without speaking down the phone, instead dialing “55”.
  • Always keep some money on you, including change for a pay phone or bus fare.
  • If you suspect your partner is about to attack you, try to go to a lower-risk area of the house – for example, where there is a way out and access to a telephone.
  • Avoid the kitchen and garage, where there are likely to be knives or other weapons. Avoid rooms where you might become trapped, such as the bathroom, or where you might be shut into a cupboard or other small space.

If you are a ­victim of domestic abuse, SupportLine is open Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 6pm to 8pm on 01708 765200. The charity’s email support ­service is open weekdays and weekends during the crisis – [email protected].

Women’s Aid provides a live chat service – available weekdays from 8am-6pm and weekends 10am-6pm.

You can also call the freephone 24-hour ­National Domestic Abuse Helpline on 0808 2000 247.

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