Tuesday 17 May 2022 12:34 AM Family of British wife Caroline Crouch murdered by Greek pilot speak out trends now
The family of a murdered Briton yesterday welcomed the 27-year jail sentence handed to her 'odious' killer husband.
They said Babis Anagnostopoulos, who suffocated Caroline Crouch in front of their baby daughter and then faked a burglary, would never see Lydia again.
Miss Crouch's father David predicted the 34-year-old Greek pilot would become a 'broken man' in a notoriously tough jail.
'No amount of prison time can ever bring back my beautiful daughter but I am just gratified that the court didn't believe the scurrilous nonsense that he produced during his testimony,' said Mr Crouch, 79.
'I am further gratified to know that he will serve his time in Korydallos Prison, the toughest prison in Greece which has one of the worst prison systems in Europe.
Wedding: Caroline Crouch and Babis Anagnostopoulos (both pictured) married after a whirlwind romance
'When he eventually completes his sentence, which many people think he might not survive, he will be a changed man, a broken man, far older than his true age.
'Now that his fate is settled, Susan and I can move on. I intend to change Lydia's name to that of her mother so that she will never be associated with this odious creature.
'I will ensure that he never gets to see his daughter or to have any contact with her whatsoever.'
Miss Crouch, 19, was murdered last May in the villa she shared with Anagnostopoulos.
Afterwards he tied himself up and told police it was the fault of Albanian criminals.
He wept crocodile tears in a service at a hilltop cemetery on his wife's home island of Alonissos, hugging her distraught mother Susan.
Anagnostopoulos was given 16 years for killing his wife, and 11-and-a-half years for killing their dog and perverting the course of justice.
He will serve his time in maximum security Korydallos, which is known for overcrowding, gang violence and housing anarchist terrorists. He will spend around 18 years behind bars.
The pair with daughter Lydia. Miss Crouch's father David predicted the 34-year-old Greek pilot would become a 'broken man' in a notoriously tough jail
Athanasios Harmanis, the Crouch family's lawyer, said after the sentencing: 'Caroline is now a symbol in the struggle against violence against women.
'I believe we had a fair trial at the highest level and we did not fall for the charade the defendant played for the 37 days after she was killed and during the court sessions.
'It was a heinous crime – he held down the woman he said was the love of his life for five minutes while she struggled in his hands but he did not stop until she was dead.'
Anagnostopoulos had begged for a reduced sentence, arguing that the murder was a 'crime of passion' committed after Miss Crouch had refused to apologise for pushing their then 11-month-old daughter off her bed.
He had told the Athens court: 'I pressed her against her pillow. She was screaming. I thought she had fainted [but] then I could tell she was dead because her eyes were open.
'I started crying, pulling at my hair and pacing across the room trying to work out what to do.'
Anagnostopoulos (pictured in suit and tie) had begged for a reduced sentence, arguing that the murder was a 'crime of passion'
The helicopter pilot said he decided that killing the dog, Roxy, would make his story about armed home invaders more plausible.
Officers who entered the home found Lydia lying next to her mother's body on the bed, Roxy hanging in the stairwell and Anagnostopoulos tied up.
A jury of three judges and four laypeople took an hour yesterday to find him unanimously guilty of pre-meditated murder, of killing Roxy and of two counts of perverting the course of justice.
Sources said Anagnostopoulos is sharing a cell with two other VIP prisoners, former Greek National Theatre chief Dimitris Lignadis, who is accused of raping three young boys and a man, and actor Petros Filipiddis, accused of rape.
Anagnostopoulos hid his wife's wedding rings and jewellery in the fuel tank of his
