Caroline Crouch’s ‘killer’ husband begged cops to let him visit her grave before he was hauled to police HQ
THE 'KILLER' husband of Caroline Crouch allegedly begged police officers to let him visit her grave before he was quickly hauled to the police headquarters.
A few hours later Babis Anagnostopoulos, 33, confessed to smothering with a pillow his 20-year-old wife after she "vowed to leave with their baby" and staging a burglary in order to keep custody of their baby daughter Lydia.
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The 33-year-old was at the Greek island of Alonnisos where a memorial service for Caroline took place.
Police officers who had travelled to the island by helicopter approached him discreetly and asked him to follow them in order to give new testimony about the murder probe.
The pilot's former employer, Charikleia Theodorou, who has been by his side since the death of his wife told about his reaction when he saw the cops approaching.
"You need to follow us, some serious evidence about the case has emerged," they said to him while Babis begged them to let him visit his wife grave.
"No, you have to follow us now, a man has been arrested in Eleftherios Venizelos who fits the description of Caroline 's killer and we have to go there to identify him," the police insisted.
Anagnostopoulos did not resist and followed them to Athens.
His former employed said Babis was very emotional during the service.
"He was crying, he was looking at Caroline's photo and cry. I don't know if he cried for real or out of guilt.
"His behaviour was always calm and restrained.
"We cannot accept he killed her- nor Caroline's family can believe it."
After eight hours of interrogation, the 33-year-old confessed to killing the mum and staging the elaborate crime scene as well as drawing the family dog.
Babis blamed the killing on a gang of Albanian criminals and was pretending to be devastated by his wife's death for over a month.
According to reports, he 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."
Earlier today Anagnostopoulos arrived at court wearing a bullet-proof vest and was 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.
Cops were able to identify him as the alleged killer after discovering digital evidence that disrupted his timeline of the alleged robbery.
He had originally claimed that robbers burst into his home, tied him up and blindfolded him, before torturing and killing Caroline in front of their 11-month-old daughter.
- Caroline's husband confessed to killing his wife after she "vowed to leave with their baby."
- 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.
An app on his phone that tracks steps helped police to find out that Babis was actually active during the time he claimed he was tied.
Meanwhile Caroline's smart watch showed her heart had stopped beating hours before the robbery.
Detectives also revealed the security camera had tampered earlier than the pilot claimed.
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".
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Friends said Caroline "could not have the time she wanted with her friends and she was constantly expressing her complaints about his behavior," Greek news site Ethnos reported.
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Caroline had allegedly messaged a pal on the night of May 11, telling them she was leaving Babis.
Data from her phone also showed that the young mum had tried to book herself into a hotel on the night she died, detectives said.
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.