Caroline Crouch's family win battle to erase killer husband from daughter's life

Caroline Crouch's family has won a legal battle to cut her killer husband from the life of her baby daughter.

The British mother was killed by her husband Babis Anagnostopoulos, 36, who then slaughtered her rescue pooch in an attempt to make his alibi about a home invasion more credible. The 19-year-old was found dead on her bed beside her 11-month-old baby girl, who was alive, in May 2021.

Now, Caroline's dad has secured a court bid to legally change his granddaughter Lydia's surname to Crouch in tribute to her late mum and to erase all links to her father, who is in jail. David Crouch said he started thinking about changing the little girl's surname in June 2021 when he realised Anagnostopoulos had killed his daughter.

Mr Crouch, a retired oil executive, applied for the name change last year as he told The Sun: "It would be unacceptable for Lydia to bear the name of the man who killed her mother." He added: "It has always been my intention for her name to be changed, from the day in June 2021 when it became clear he had murdered my daughter."

Anagnostopoulos, a pilot, killed Caroline in the home they shared in an Athens suburb, leaving her tied dead to their bed and placing little Lydia next to her, before hanging the family's pet husky from the bannister. He was found by police handcuffed with duct tape over his eyes and mouth in a different room, but after 37 days he finally admitted he staged the break-in and had smothered the mother of his young child with a pillow after an argument.

In September 2023, a Greek appeals court told him that he won't walk free until at least 2048. He must serve "life and more" after calling the murder of Caroline Crouch "one of the world’s most heinous crimes". Upholding the verdict of a lower court, the former pilot was shown little clemency with judges deciding, unanimously, that he was not only guilty of the murder of Caroline but had been utterly deceitful in trying to evade arrest.

Anagnostopoulos had originally claimed the burglars demanded cash and jewellery, and fled with about £10,000 worth of euros hidden in a Monopoly box. He said they had that kind of money on hand because they needed to pay builders. He told police he managed to wriggle free and call for help using his mobile phone.

But his story fell apart after detectives spent hours going through text messages and data from the couple's mobile phones and other devices. Ms Crouch's fitness tracker, data from Anagnostopoulos' mobile phone, and CCTV from the home in the upscale neighbourhood, helped crack the case.

A fitness tracker on Ms Crouch's wrist showed intense heart activity just after 4am and her heart stopping at about 4.11am, about an hour before burglars were alleged to have stormed into the home, it was reported. It is alleged that data from Anagnostopoulos' phone showed him moving from the attic to the basement of the home, and back again, despite him claiming he had been tied up in a room.

The memory card from a security camera inside the living room had been removed at 1.20am. Police claim it was removed by the husband and flushed down the toilet.

A state prosecutor described the self-confessed killer as the "definition of manipulation", urging appeals court judges to ensure he spent the rest of his life behind bars. "He should be given the toughest punishment possible," the magistrate told the court. "There are no margins for any mitigation."