A Greek pilot who confessed to killing his British wife acted out of rage over her “mistreatment” of their 11-month-old girl, his lawyer has told The Times.
Babis Anagnostopoulos, 32, appears in court tomorrow to challenge charges that he planned the murder of Caroline Crouch, 20, faking a robbery to cover up her suffocation in front of their daughter, Lydia.
Alexis Papaioannidis, the lawyer, said yesterday: “The court will be presented with a lot of facts and evidence proving Babis’ allegations — that he acted in a fit of rage.”
Since June, Anagnostopoulos has been in detention, when he confessed to the killing after a six-hour interrogation. He said that he smothered Crouch after she threatened to leave. It is the first time.
Now, following legal wrangling led by Marathon Animal Welfare Association, the 33-year-old will also face accusations that he killed his five-month-old pup, Roxy.
Anagnostopoulos could face an extra ten years in prison if he is found guilty of the crime under a law brought in two years ago, which allows harsh sentences for animal cruelty including poisoning, hanging, burning and mutilation.
Evangelia Tsanopoulou, the lawyer representing Roxy the dog, has said she will argue for the maximum decade long sentence.
"It's important that Roxy also gets justice. It was an atrocious crime because the dog was not simply murdered, he was first tortured and then murdered and went through horrendous last moments," she told Mail Online.
"The dog was wearing his regular collar and was hung between the first and second floor which means that he choked to death and was severely tormented before breathing his last."
The Marathon Animal Welfare Association announced the charge and said that Roxy had been adopted by Anagnostopoulos and Caroline in December 2020 - five months before he was found dead alongside his owner.
Prosecutors have argued that the murders were pre-meditated and that Anagnostopoulos should also be given a life sentence for killing Caroline.
The pilot has admitted to the killing but maintains that it was a 'crime of passion after she threatened to divorce him.
Caroline was found dead at her home in Greece on May 11 last year lying in her bed alongside her 11-month-old baby daughter.
During an eight-hour interrogation, Anagnostopoulos is said to have admitted to killing Caroline after she told him to leave the house following an argument.
They said Anagnostopoulos confessed he killed his wife in front of their daughter and then strangled the family's dog as he tried to make it look like a robbery gone wrong.
