Greek pilot found guilty of murdering British wife and killing their dog

A pilot has been found guilty of suffocating his British wife and then trying to cover up his crime to make it look like a robbery.

‘Narcissistic’ Babis Anagnostopoulos, 33, murdered Caroline Crouch, 19, and then also killed the family pet Roxy, with their 11-month-old baby at home with them in May last year.

The helicopter pilot pretended to be a grieving husband as he told police and reporters that violent men broke in and tied up both him and his wife before hanging their dog from a bannister and making off with thousands of pounds worth of cash and jewellery.

He claimed he was unable to get a clear view of the three assailants because they had covered his face and neck with duct tape, leaving him unconscious because of a lack of oxygen.

Caroline was found dead on couple’s bed, with their baby daughter next to her and touching her body.

At first, her husband’s story was so convincing that police put up a £250,000 for the capture of the killers.

But the claims unravelled as police found no evidence of a gang, and data from Caroline’s fitness tracker showed her heart had stopped beating before the alleged break-in.

The case transfixed Greece, with the couple appearing to have an idyllic and glamorous life in an upmarket area of Athens.

But Caroline had told a therapist she wanted to get away from controlling Anagnostopoulos, and work towards her dream of becoming a pastry chef.

Her diary also showed she had told him she wanted to end their relationship in July 2020.

Anagnostopoulos could face a life sentence of 16 years under Greek law for murdering his wife and up to 10 years for killing their dog.

In addition, he could receive six years for two counts of perverting the course of justice.

After his lies fell apart, he claimed his wife died in a crime of passion, hoping to get a lesser sentence.

But a mixed tribunal of seven judges and jurors unanimously found him guilty of murder.

Caroline, a university student, spent most of her life in Greece after moving to Alonissos with her mother Susan Dela Cuesta and father David Crouch, 78, when she was eight.

She met her killer when she was only 15 and still at school, while he was 29 and working flying people around the Greek islands.

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