The husband of a British woman murdered during a horrifying burglary in Greece has told of the ‘nightmare’ ordeal – saying he begged the thieves not to hurt his family as they put a gun to his baby daughter’s temple.
Charalambos Anagnostopoulos, 33, a helicopter pilot, was asleep at his home near Athens on Tuesday alongside wife Caroline Crouch, 20, a student, and their 11-month-old daughter when a gang of thieves broke in around 5am.
Mr Anagnostopoulos, known as ‘Babis’, told the police that the masked raiders – armed with handguns – tied him up on the floor and tied Caroline to the bed before demanding ‘where’s the money?’ in broken Greek.
He said the couple had a large amount of cash at home because they had recently bought a plot of land and needed to pay builders for work, and he revealed his hiding spot – inside a Monopoly box – quickly in order to spare his loved ones being tortured.
But the thieves demanded more money and jewellery, and then pointed a gun at his infant daughter’s temple before strangling Caroline when she started screaming, according to Greek newspaper Dawn.
‘I heard my wife screaming for help tied to the bed while I was tied to the floor,’ Babis is said to have told police. ‘We screamed not to be hurt.
‘The baby was crying, my wife was crying and someone or some people were looking for the house to find more money and jewelry. Suddenly they left the room and I couldn’t hear my wife’s voice anymore.’
Speaking to Greek TV outside the family home later the same day, Babis added: ‘I wish no one ever goes through what we went through last night. It was a nightmare.
‘We begged the thieves not to harm us. We told them where the money was and asked them to leave us alone. The police will catch them.’
Caroline Crouch, 20 (right), has been strangled to death at her home in Athens, Greece, that she shared with husband Babis Anagnostopoulos (left) and their infant daughter (pictured)
Police say a gang of burglars broke into Caroline (left) and Babis’s (right) home, tied him up, tortured and strangled her, then stole £33,000 in cash and jewellery and fled
Babis was today seen briefly returning to his home to pick up personal possessions whilst accompanied by three police officers, according to Greek newspaper Proto Thema . The publication ran a news video on its website showing the moment he was questioned by journalists as he got into his car to leave
Police were called to the scene by Mr Anagnostopoulos who managed to get to a phone and dial the emergency number with his nose.
Police have described the crime as the ‘most heinous’ they have ever investigated, and say it was carried out with a ‘brutality’ that is rare in Greece.
A £250,000 reward for information has been offered, and investigators are thought to be working on the theory that the gang was well organised, likely surveilled the couple before the raid, and somehow knew they were keeping a large amount of cash at home.
Officers are questioning friends, neighbours and relatives of the couple to see if anyone was spotted hanging around the house in the days before the raid, or whether anyone had given away information about them keeping money in the house.
Investigators say the raid began around 4.30am when the gang approached the couple’s house and broke a security camera outside.
They then broke a basement window to get inside the property, and found the family’s dog downstairs.
Police say the animal was strangled using its own leash before being left to hang on a stair banister.
The men then made their way upstairs to an attic bedroom where the couple were asleep next to their child.
Babis was attacked first – with the men handcuffing him to a bed post and covering his eyes and mouth with duct tape. They then set upon Caroline, a trained martial artist, and tied her up using a t-shirt.
Caroline, who is thought to have been born Greece but has a British passport, began dating Babis in 2017, married him in 2019, and gave birth in June last year
Caroline was a student at the University of Piraeus, according to Greek media, though it is unclear what she studied. Pictured: Caroline and Babis with their daughter
Police have cordoned off the couple’s home in the Glyka Nera neighbourhood of Greece and are scouring it for evidence
Officers believe the gang likely targeted the couple, and may have had them under surveillance before striking
For around an hour they tortured her, demanding the location of the family’s money and jewellery, which are thought to have been kept in a safe.
According to news site Ta Nea, Babis told police that the men – speaking in broken Greek – had told Caroline that they would hurt the baby if she did not give them the location of the safe.
The men then pointed a gun at the infant, the site reports, causing Caroline to scream for help. She was then strangled to keep her quiet, with a blouse or pillowcase.
After taking the family’s valuables, the men fled. Babis told police that the trio spoke a foreign language among themselves, though he was unable to identify it.
At around 6am, Babis managed to reach a phone and called police, who rushed to the scene which is now cordoned off.
Babis and his daughter were taken to hospital, while officers began examining the house for evidence.
Social media profiles reveal Caroline and Babis met in 2017 and were married in July 2019 in a ceremony in Portugal.
Caroline, who appears to have ties to the UK through her father’s side of the family, then gave birth to their first child in June last year.
Police say hooded men broke into the home in the Glyka Nera suburb while one stood guard, strangled the family dog, tied up the husband, then tortured and strangled his wife
Caroline was killed in front of her infant daughter after thieves broke into the home she shared with her husband
The pair lived in Athens, where Babis worked as an ‘air taxi’ pilot flying out of Athens international airport and a smaller airfield in nearby Megara.
Caroline was a student at the University of Piraeus, according to Greek media, though it is unclear what she studied.
According to The Times, Caroline grew up on the Greek island of Alonnisos. A family friend quoted in the paper said she had a British father and a Filipino mother.
‘I don’t know if she was born on the island or just raised there,’ she said. ‘She was a very beautiful girl and she was a very active child, doing lots of swimming and scuba diving.
‘Her mum was a sweetheart and she was so proud of her daughter. Her mum was saying just a few days ago how happy she was to be able to visit Caroline in Athens once in a while.’
Caroline married Babbis in May 2018. In an Instagram post in July last year, Babbis wrote: ‘Happy Birthday to my awesome wife, closest friend, and best mom our daughter could have.’
A post a month earlier announced the birth of their daughter. Babbis said it was the ‘best day in a man’s life’.
Police say it appears the robbers were experienced, and likely surveilled the couple for some time before the raid.
Investigators are now reviewing local CCTV cameras to see how the burglars got away and whether they were in the area before the raid.
They are also interviewing the couple’s neighbours and friends to see if anyone gave away information about the pair keeping large amounts of cash in the house.