EXCLUSIVE: Murdered Caroline Crouch’s heartbroken father compares her killer husband to a ‘paedophile’ as he launches appeal to get his life sentence reduced
- Babis Anagnostopoulos, 35, suffocated Caroline Crouch in front of their baby
- The Greek pilot was jailed for life last summer for the 2021 murder in Athens
Murdered Caroline Crouch’s heartbroken father has compared her evil husband to a ‘paedophile’ after he launched an appeal to get his sentence for killing her reduced.
Babis Anagnostopoulos, 35, was given life last year for smothering Caroline, 20, and the family’s pet dog in front of the couple’s then nine month old baby daughter Lydia, in May 2021.
He then duped police into thinking the family had been the victims of a break in, at their home in a suburb of the Greek capital Athens before his callous charade was eventually cracked by detectives.
Speaking as his appeal got underway in Athens, Caroline’s father, David, slammed his son-in-law said: ’It is absolutely despicable that my daughter’s killer is trying to get his prison sentence reduced because of his ‘good behaviour.’
‘The crime committed by the murderer, that of femicide, is a heinous crime that should deserve particularly severe punishment. In my opinion, men who kill their wives, for whatever reason, are the lowest of the low, ranking alongside paedophiles.
Babis Anagnostopoulos, 35, (left) was given life last year for smothering Caroline, 20, (right) in front of the couple’s then nine month old baby daughter Lydia, in May 2021
Anagnostopoulos allegedly transported drugs in his helicopter for a local gang but tried to get out after confessing to Miss Crouch, who threatened to leave him
Anagnostopoulos arrived at the court building with an armed guard for the start of the hearing
‘I think it will be a sad day for women when the murderer of a defenceless woman who slept with her child will serve less than his full prison sentence. This man is beyond contempt.’
Anagnostopoulos legal team are arguing that no mitigating circumstances were taken into account at the original trial and that he had only reacted violently because ‘Caroline had pushed Lydia away’ and he was ‘worried’ for their daughter.
They also say that he carried on the false pretence of a fake break in for almost six weeks because he was worried Lydia would be taken away and left without anyone to look after her.
He was also given 11 years for killing the family’s pet dog Roxy and his appointed a hot shot new lawyer, Aikaterini Mavroidi, for his appeal hearing which will be heard in Athens.
Anagnostopoulos arrived at the court building with an armed guard for the start of the hearing and Caroline’s mother Susan was also present for the opening of the case.
Ms Mavroidi applied for the hearing to be adjourned until next year as she had only just been appointed and needed time to go through the case filed properly.
But the prosecutor and Susan argued against the request and the case was adjourned until next month when it will continue with the judge ruling a year’s delay was out of the question.
Liverpool born David, 79, who retired to the Greek island of Alonissos, told MailOnline:’The killer tried to get the hearing rescheduled until 2024 but the lawyer objected and it will now go ahead next month.
Caroline’s father, David, slammed his son-in-law said: ’It is absolutely despicable that my daughter’s killer is trying to get his prison sentence reduced because of his ‘good behaviour’
Anagnostopoulos legal team are arguing that no mitigating circumstances were taken into account at the original trial
‘The mother still believes in her son’s innocence and tries to show my beloved daughter in a bad light which I will not tolerate.’
Last month Anagnostopoulos claimed in a letter to David that he had murdered Caroline because he had confessed to her he was involved in a drug smuggling operation and she had threatened to leave him as a result.
Lydia is currently being looked after by David and Susan but her father’s parents have appealed to have the ruling overturned.
Read More: Father of murdered Caroline Crouch reveals his heartbreak
When asked what he would tell Lydia about her parents, David said: ‘How will I introduce her to him? “That’s your father. He killed your mother by the way and that’s why you don’t see him much. He may look charming but he’s actually a brazen weasel.
‘Your mum was a professional kick boxer and he had to wait until she was asleep before attacking her. He is not the kind of man a little girl would be proud to call father.
‘Nothing to do with her mother who used to walk hand in hand with me in the village and when she met a classmate she would look at the tall man next to her and say to her friend “hello, that’s my dad”. That always made me swell with pride.’
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