Revealed
WEB OF LIES
Caroline Crouch murder – Chilling body language signs that exposed husband’s lies as he fooled world in TV interviews
A BODY language expert has revealed the chilling tell-tale signs Caroline Crouch's husband was trying to fool the world after killing her.
Babis Anagnostopoulos, 33, smothered the Brit to death then placed their baby next to her dead body to try to make a convincing fake crime scene.
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He also slaughtered their pet Husky puppy in a bid to make his robbery lie seem more plausible.
His web of lies included telling reporters his family had been tied up and gagged by robbers who strangled Caroline, 20, before making off with £10,000 cash.
Harrowing TV interviews showed the dad pouring his heart out as he begged anyone with information to come forward.
But in a sensational twist, the pilot yesterday confessed to cops after more than eight hours of interrogation in Athens.
His shameless attempts to disguise the truth have now been revealed by a body language expert.
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Judi James pinpointed three main giveaways as Babis spoke to the world about the horror.
She explained he chose to keep a cool head and "steered clear of the kind of emotional breakdown that people might have been expecting".
While reliving the supposed robbery, Babis "promoted himself as the heroic avenger of his wife’s death".
But as he divulges more information about the fateful night, "he performs more eye cut-offs, looking down rather than straight ahead".
Judi explains this is a typical tactic of concealment, or in the case of genuine grief, a move to try and hold back tears.
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The master manipulator, who led cops on a wild goose chase for a fictional gang of Albanian raiders for weeks, is also seen blinking "rapidly and quite intensely" - a hint to his impatience or anger.
The renowned body language expert also points out how Babis chooses not to fake tears but instead gives off the impression he wants the culprits caught.
She said: "His ability and his apparent keenness to talk about the murder in front of an intimidating jostle of press might have seemed unfeasible, but it could also have been seen at the time as brave.
"He uses a head-baton gesture as he speaks to emphasise each sentiment.
"This metronomic trait looks urgent and adds a rhythm to his words or script which, again, adds to the impression of a man keen to help the police catch the villains."
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But the mask slips slightly as reporters press him about the moment he first knew his wife was dead.
Judi explains how Babis pauses as he makes his way to a waiting car - one hand on the door as though keen to answer the question.
She also described how although he discusses the alleged trauma of the break-in, he continues to speak at speed with no apparent change of tone.
He is even observed shrugging his shoulders - a notable indicator of a lack of care.
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CAROLINE CROUCH MURDER TIMELINE
12.35 am - Babis is seen on the living room CCTV camera with daughter Lydia, texting Caroline who is in the attic
1.20 am - Babis removes CCTV memory cards causing camera blackout and for the next two hours the couple exchange abusive text messages
4.00 am - Caroline's smartwatch shows intense pulse stimulation
4.11 am - Pulses detected on Caroline's smartwatch stop
6am - Babis calls police reporting a robbery at the couple's home
In another giveaway sign, Babis makes a "tongue-poke" to suggest "rejection or disgust" when the subject moves on to money he says was taken in the robbery.
Judi also explains he displays "some micro-grimaces that again suggest anger".
She added: "He talks quickly and, apparently, fluidly and urgently as though keen to tell his story.
"There are very little signs of any confusion - like faltering or pausing in between words.
"It could have occurred naturally in a ‘heroic, brave’ state but it can also be easier to replicate than grief if there is a performance going on as most people have experienced anger first-hand and so find replicating it easier."
Police have described Babis as a "top class actor" after staging the elaborate crime scene and keeping up with the sick charade as the grieving widower for over a month.
But as the expert points out, Babis' emotionless interview could be because of his job as a helicopter pilot and the calm demeanour it requires.
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Babis managed to deceive the tragic 20-year-old's family and was even pictured embracing Caroline's mother just hours before confessing to the killing.
Cops allowed him to attend a memorial service in Caroline's honour on Wednesday in order for him not to "take fright" - where he told her loved ones he had been asked to identify "a new suspect".
It was in fact Babis himself who had become the focus of the investigation, after detectives were able to untangle his web of deceit by analysing the couple's smart devices.
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, where you call 999 and press ‘55’ if you can’t safely speak.
- Always keep some money or a bank card on you, including change in case you need a pay phone or bus fare.
- If you suspect your partner is about to attack you, try to move towards an exit if you are inside the house and get your phone in case you need to call for help.
- Avoid the kitchen and garage, where there are likely to be knives or other potential weapons. Avoid rooms where you might become trapped, such as the bathroom.
Women’s Aid provides a - available every day from 10am-6pm or email [email protected]
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].
You can also call the freephone 24-hour National Domestic Abuse Helpline on 0808 2000 247.
Some of the new evidence came from the pilot's own mobile phone, as police revealed an app had tracked his repeated steps from the attic to the basement of the home at the time he had claimed to be blindfolded and tied up by the alleged robbers.
It was discovered the memory card in the security camera of the maisonette the couple shared had also been removed at 1:20am - while he had claimed the thieves broke into the house several hours later.
Caroline's smartwatch recorded that her heart had stopped beating hours before the time Anagnostopoulos claimed she must have been murdered.
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Clothes has been thrown around the house to give the appearance of a robbery, police said.
One officer even quickly swooped up the couple's 11-month-old daughter Lydia, after gaining the impression not all was as it seemed, reported.
According to reports, Babis eventually broke down saying: "That night we had been arguing from early on.
"At some point she threw the child in her cot and she told me to get up and leave the house.
"She pushed me and punched me. My judgement became blurred, I strangled her and then I staged the robbery."
The helicopter pilot, who was 12 years older than his student wife, was detained in the cells at Greece's central police headquarters last night.
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It had taken police 37 days to crack the case with investigators following up a host of dud inquiry lines based on the testimony Babis had given.
"It is going to be remembered as one of the great crime cases in recent decades," said one source.
Local media reported that among the evidence police had of the altercation was an attempt by Caroline to book herself into a hotel with their baby daughter on the night of the crime.
In a text message found on Caroline's phone, it had become apparent that the student had indeed threatened to leave the man she had first met as a teenager just hours before her own murder.
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The pilot will be hauled before the courts today but is expected to request a 48-hour reprieve to prepare his defence with lawyers.
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On June 4, it emerged that no DNA was found underneath Caroline's fingernails in another blow to the hung for the sadistic thieves who tortured the mum.
Meanwhile, calls also mounted on June 4 for the psychologist who says she had been treating Caroline to prove she is a certified practitioner.
Caroline Crouch's husband Babis Anagnostopoulos, hugs the victim's mum at memorial service
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