HUSBAND'S TEARS
Traumatised husband didn’t know murdered Brit wife was dead until cops took his blindfold off after horror burglary
A HUSBAND whose Brit wife was murdered by sick burglars in Greece didn't know she was dead until cops removed his blindfold.
Caroline Crouch, 20, was strangled to death by robbers at her home in Glyka Nera, near Athens at 5am on Tuesday.
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The criminals tied up her husband Charalambos Anagnostopoulos, 32, and blindfolded him before putting a gun to their baby's head and demanding money.
Caroline's lifeless body was found next to her crying daughter after the robbers had fled with £10,000 hidden in a board game box.
Police spokesman George Kalliakmanis said the 11-month-old baby Lydia was seen "hitting" her mum in an attempt to wake her up.
Mr Kalliakmanis said the distraught father, who works as a pilot, was handcuffed to the floor and had duct tape over his eyes and mouth.
Speaking to reporters, Charalambos said he discovered his wife had been murdered when police officers removed the tape covering his eyes.
He said: "They tied us up while we told them where the money was.
"I realised that my wife was not alive when the police freed me.
"My daughter, fortunately, was not hit. She went to the hospital as a precaution and, fortunately, she is fine."
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The pilot is working with investigators in a bid to track down the ruthless criminals - who also killed the family dog during the robbery.
Charalambos, who said he was still in "shock", appealed for people with information about the gang of four men to contact police.
Mr Kalliakmanis told said Caroline was found lying face down after being gagged and tied to a bed.
Her husband was found on the floor nearby but suffered from hypoxemia - a lack of oxygen in the blood - and passed out during the ordeal.
A neighbour told the that the father used his nose to dial her number - which was the most recent number dialled on his phone.
She said: "He was screaming, he was screaming but I could not understand what he was saying because his mouth was gagged.
"I thought it was a medical problem. I went outside to investigate and I saw and then I knew it was much more important."
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Charalambos told reporters that he "begged" the criminals not to hurt his wife and child.
He said the gang threatened to kill his baby if they did not hand over the money.
The father said he had £10,000 cash in the house because he needed to pay builders for work they had completed on a plot of land the family had recently bought.
According to local media, the robbers left fingerprints and DNA evidence at the house.
Medical examiner Grigoris Leos told To Vima that Caroline likely suffered a "slow and torturous death".
He said if she had fought back against the men, DNA from at least of the suspects would have been found under her fingernails.
Detectives have reportedly drawn up a "red list" of 100 suspects including foreigners and Greeks who have recently been freed from jail.
They are also probing possible links to five other robberies last year, which were also characterised by shocking levels of violence.
Officers suspect the gang may have been tipped off that the couple had a large sum of cash stashed in the house.
Yet, according to , murder cops are looking at whether the information came from within the couple’s inner circle.
"We are concentrating on the mistakes they made," one well-placed police source told The Sun.
"They may have seen themselves as 'professional burglars' but they were in the house for a long time, for more than an hour at least, and there is a lot of DNA that has helped us in the inquiry.
"They literally turned over the house, went through every drawer, closet and cupboard and Caroline put up a fight."
The Greek government has announced a £300,000 bounty for information that might lead to the culprits.
The three criminals forced their way into the two storey house at 4.30am after breaking a CCTV camera and hanging the family's dog by its own leash.
A fourth criminal kept watch outside the home as the others found the couple sleeping with their child in an attic bedroom.
A police spokesperson told The Dawn that cops believe the suspects broke into the house through a basement window after spending several hours observing the family.
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A post-mortem examination took place yesterday and it is believed Caroline may have been strangled with her own T-shirt.
Another officer quoted in Greek media claimed the gang had been identified and were well known.
“The three robbers are professionals. They have what we call a criminal past,” said the cop.
“That is, they are marked, they have gone through prisons and as it turned out, they are people with a strong anti-social element and a complete lack of emotions.”
He said the sadistic gang “used their hands” to kill the mum despite having weapons in what was a “prolonged physical contact” with the victim.
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Caroline's British father moved to Greece 20 years ago where he lives with his Filipina wife who was said to be in Athens speaking with investigators.
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Marilena Poniraki, who taught Caroline on the island of Alonissos where she lived with her parents, paid tribute to her.
She said: "I will always remember her so happy, she was a very remarkable creature, it is a great pity what has happened."
Haunting social media videos of Brit mum, 20, who was tortured to death in front of her baby daughter while pilot husband, 32, tied up by burglars in Greece