Greek court convicts helicopter pilot of UK wife's killing
A Greek helicopter pilot has been convicted of killing his British-Greek wife in their home on the outskirts of Athens and trying to mislead police for weeks by claiming she was killed by intruders in a brutal house invasion
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A Greek helicopter pilot was convicted Monday of killing his British-Greek wife in their home on the outskirts of Athens and trying to mislead police for weeks by claiming she was killed by intruders in a brutal house invasion.
An Athens court found Babis Anagnostopoulos, 34, guilty of the murder of Caroline Crouch, 20, in May 2021 as the couple's 11-month-old daughter slept in the house. He was also convicted of strangling the couple’s dog to lend credence to the narrative that the family fell victim to ruthless burglars demanding to be handed hidden valuables.
Sentencing was expected later Monday.
After abandoning the house invasion scenario, Anagnostopoulos claimed that Crouch died following an altercation between the couple over the infant's care. Prosecutors maintained that he intentionally suffocated her while she was asleep.
The civil aviation pilot and flight instructor had initially told police that armed robbers broke into the house at night, binding and gagging him and his wife in their bedroom while the baby slept. The incident shocked the nation and prompted authorities to announce a 300,000-euro ($365,000) reward for information about the crime.
Anagnostopoulos was arrested more than a month after Crouch's death after attending a memorial service for her near her family home on the Aegean Sea island of Alonissos. He was seen hugging the victim’s mother before being led away.