British woman, 20, strangled to death in front of her 11-month-old daughter in Greece
Burglars torture and murder British woman, 20, in front of her 11-month-old daughter and bound husband at their home in Greece
- Caroline Crouch, 20, was strangled at the home she shared with 33-year-old husband Babis Anagnostopoulos
- Three armed men are believed to have raided her house, killing the family dog before tying up Babis
- Caroline was tortured to reveal location of valuables, before she was killed in front of 11-month-old daughter
- Men fled with £33,000 in cash and possessions, and are now being hunted by Greek police
- The country’s government have issued a €300,000 (£258,000) reward for information
A British woman has been tortured and murdered in front of her 11-month-old daughter during a horror home invasion in Greece.
Caroline Crouch, 20, was strangled at the home she shared with 33-year-old husband Charalambos ‘Babis’ Anagnostopoulos in the Glyka Nera suburb of Athens early Tuesday.
Police say three men – some of whom were armed with pistols – broke into the family home around 5am while a fourth stood guard outside.
The trio killed the family dog, tied up Babis – a helicopter pilot – then tortured Caroline for an hour to get her to reveal the location of the family’s valuables, before strangling her.
The men then took jewellery worth worth £21,500 and £13,000 in cash, and fled.
The Greek government have issued a €300,000 (£258,000) reward for information, Greek news outlet The Dawn reported.
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.
A TV news video showed the moment he was questioned by journalists as he got into his car to leave.
Babis, who was visibly distressed, said in Greek that his wife’s killers would be caught and added that they had ‘begged’ the men not to hurt them.
On Tuesday evening, heartbreaking footage emerged showing Caroline playing with her baby at the beach earlier this year.
In what was her final Instagram video, the young mother was seen holding and kissing her cherished child.
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
After his wife was killed, Babis eventually was able reach a phone and call emergency services, who arrived a short time later.
Theodoros Chronopoulos, a spokesman for Greek police, described the attacks as a ‘heinous crime, committed with extreme ferocity.’
‘Such barbarism is rare for Greece,’ he added.
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 the house’s fence.
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.
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
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. Police say the trio spoke a foreign language among themselves, which Babis was unable to identify.
According to Proto Thema, Babis told police that he had discovered his wife’s body.
‘When I managed to break free, I rushed upstairs to the attic to find my wife on the floor facing down, and the baby next to her wailing,’ he said.
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.
