Caroline Crouch’s husband ‘staged burglary in twisted bid to keep custody of baby daughter after killing Brit mum’
CAROLINE Crouch's husband killed her then staged a burglary by a fictional gang in a twisted bid to keep custody of their baby daughter, it is claimed.
Babis Anagnostopoulos who lied that intruders tortured his 20-year-old wife to death, yesterday confessed to confessed he strangled her after she "vowed to leave with their baby."
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He said: "I tried to wake her up but she wasn't moving.
"What would happen to my child? I thought about hiding her body.
"I had to hurt the dog too in order to make it plausible. No one would believe that I'd hurt the dog.
"I want everyone to understand that everything I did afterwards was so Lydia wouldn't lose her father as well."
The 33-year-old pilot has been described as a "top-class actor" by the police after playing the role of the grieving widower for weeks.
He allegedly staged the detailed crime scene and making police chase a fictional gang of Albanian criminals.
He did not even hesitate to hug Caroline's mum just hours before confessing to the killing.
He admitted to smothering Caroline to death after more than eight hours of interrogation in the homicide department of Athens' police headquarters.
According to reports, Babis broke down during the interrogation saying: "I killed her, I will tell you everything in detail.
"It was as if he wanted to confess in order to feel relieved."
The 33-year-old pilot appeared to court earlier today, wearing a bulletproof vest and was officially charged with intentional homicide and animal abuse.
He requested an extension of the deadline which was accepted and he is expected to present his defence on Tuesday.
Police had apparently suspected Babis based on a barrage of new evidence.
Cops travelled by helicopter to the Greek island of Alonnisos where Anagnostopoulos had been mourning with relatives.
According to local reports, police approached him discreetly following a memorial service and asked him to return to Athens with them.
- He was described as a "top actor" as he hugged Caroline's mum at her funeral
- Timeline reveals Caroline fought her husband for ten minutes after her pulse stopped
- There were five clues that exposed the killer husband- from the fitness tracker to Caroline's pulse monitor
- An expert revealed the body language signs that exposed the killer's lies.
- Anagnostopoulos arrived at court in a bulletproof vest surrounded by armed cops to face the murder charge
An app on the pilot's phone 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 burglars.
Police also had discovered the memory card in the security camera of the couple's home had also been removed at 1:20 am - 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.
Officers said the couple had been bickering in the lead-up to the killing, as a text message exchange showed one had called the other "stupid".
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.
Greek police have faced criticism for taking too long to make a breakthrough.
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"It is going to be remembered as one of the great crime cases in recent decades," said one source.
Crouch, 20 killed in front of her 11-month-old daughter in her home in an upmarket Athens suburb on May 11.
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 – messageinfo@supportline.org.uk.
You can also call the freephone 24-hour National Domestic Abuse Helpline on 0808 2000 247.