HongKong

Caroline Crouch: Greek pilot guilty of murdering British wife and strangling dog



A Greek helicopter pilot has today been found guilty of mudering his British-Greek wife in their home and strangling their dog.

Babis Anagnostopoulos, 34, was today convicted of the murder of Caroline Crouch, 20, in May 2021 as the couple’s 11-month-old daughter slept in the house.

It is expected his sentencing with occur later on Monday.

The civil aviation pilot and flight instructor was also found guilty of trying to mislead police for weeks by claiming Crouch was murdered by armed intruders who had broken into their home.

He originally told police he was tied up by four robbers who put a gun to his child’s head, strangled his wife, and then got away with £10,000 in cash. But police found that examination of mobile devices, a smartwatch with a heart rate monitor used by Crouch, and cameras, had established a timeline that contradicted with the pilot’s testimony.

He also strangled the family dog, Roxy, in order to give weight to his narrative that the family had been victim to intruders demanding they be handed the family’s hidden valuables, an Athens court found.

The incident stirred up national outrage, prompting authorities to pledge a €300,000 (£254,000) reward for information about the crime.

The killer eventually abandoned the burglary yarn in favour of claiming his wife had died following an altercation between the pair over their daughter’s care.

But prosecutors maintained that Anagnostopoulos intentionally suffocated her while she slept in their home.

He had previously admitted to killing his wife but denied premeditated murder, which carries a life sentence.

More than a month after his wife’s death, Anagnostopoulos was arrested after attending a memorial service for her near her family home on the Aegean Sea island of Alonissos. He was witnessed embracing Crouch’s mother before being led away.

Last week, the pilot told the court he had “no excuses” for killing his wife as he begged for forgiveness, the Daily Mail reported.

More follows



READ SOURCE

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this site, you accept our use of cookies.