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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
World
Chris Kitching

First picture of man arrested after Brit mum murdered in front of baby during burglary

This is the first picture of a man arrested after a British mum was strangled to death in front of her baby.

The 43-year-old suspect, from Georgia, was led into a courthouse for a hearing that was closed to the public, a week after the brutal killing of 20-year-old Caroline Crouch in Greece.

The suspect, whose hands were cuffed behind his back, was wearing a blue face mask due to the Covid pandemic and had a black hoodie over his head like a hood.

He was arrested at the border with Bulgaria, allegedly in possession of fake documents, a few days after Ms Crouch, 20, and the family's pet dog were killed at their home in the affluent Athens suburb of Glyka Nera.

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Ms Crouch, 20, was murdered in front of her 11-month-old daughter Lydia (Caroline Crouch/Instagram)

Student Ms Crouch, whose father is British, and her husband Charalambos (Babis) Anagnostopoulos were tied up and gagged as burglars threatened to kill their 11-month-old baby girl, Lydia, as they demanded cash and jewellery.

Helicopter pilot Mr Anagnostopoulos, 33, previously said he "begged" the intruders not to harm his family and told them where to find about £10,000 worth of euros, which was hidden in a Monopoly box.

He said the couple was buying land to build a dream home, and the cash was on hand to cover costs related to the purchase.

The couple's baby was not harmed.

Ms Crouch is pictured with her husband Charalambos (Babis) Anagnostopoulos and their baby (Babis Anagnostopoulos/Instagram)
The suspect has denied involvement in the murder of the British mother (Giannis Dimitropoulos/Intime News/Athena Pictures)

The only suspect arrested so far denied involvement in the murder when he was quizzed by detectives, local media reported.

He remained in custody on Wednesday as police continued to gather evidence and hunt for additional suspects.

It is thought that three men broke into the house while a fourth waited outside.

DNA samples collected at the scene of the murder have been sent to a forensic lab for testing.

Detectives were probing whether the suspect was linked to previous incidents, including the robbery of an elderly couple and cleaner in the Athens suburb of Pikermi in March.

In that incident, the victims were tied up and beaten.

The man also denied being involved in that robbery, local media reported.

Police have been looking at recent robberies and have been going through a long list of known gang members and convicted burglars in a bid to identify potential suspects.

Mr Anagnostopoulos breaks down in tears as he speaks to reporters following his wife's death (Athena Pictures)
Ms Crouch, whose father is British, was raised on a Greek island and was living near Athens (Caroline Crouch/Instagram)

Ms Crouch, Mr Anagnostopoulos and their baby were sleeping when burglars broke into their home at about 5am on May 11.

Last week, Mr Anagnostopoulos said he temporarily lost consciousness during the attack due to tape that was wrapped around his neck and mouth.

He was able to loosen his bonds and use his nose to dial his mobile phone and call for help, it was reported.

The first officer on scene told how he walked into the home and found the baby girl trying to wake her dead mother.

Before his wife's funeral last week, Mr Anagnostopoulos told a Mirror reporter: "She was an amazing person, full of life and full of love.

"Our lives will never be the same without her.

"Take care of your family, sir. Cherish your loved ones as much as you can."

Detectives are probing whether the burglars thought the couple had 100,000 euros (£86,000) hidden inside the house for the land purchase.

A £260,000 reward for information has been announced by the Greek Government.

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