Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
World
Ryan Fahey

Dad of Brit woman murdered by husband says executing her killer would be an 'honour'

The dad of a British woman murdered by her Greek husband says it would be an "honour" to execute the man who took his beloved daughter from him.

David Crouch, 79, lashed out at the former pilot Babis Anagnostopoulos ahead of a hearing in which the convicted murderer plans to appeal his 27-year sentence.

Through his legal team, Anagnostopoulos will claim the original judge didn't take mitigating circumstances into account, so his prison term should be lessened.

He is expected to argue that on the night of the killing in May 2021, he strangled his partner because he was scared she might harm their daughter Lydia, who was just nine months old at the time.

The 35-year-old's web of lies has repeatedly become tangled. After murdering Caroline at their home in Athens, he told cops that burglars were the culprit.

He strangled Caroline to death before hanging her dog from the bannisters to mislead police into thinking she died during a grisly home invasion (Caroline Crouch/Instagram)

He even hung Caroline's dog Roxy from the bannister as Anagnostopoulos in an attempt to portray the killing as a gruesome botched home invasion.

His legal team is going to point to Anagnostopoulos's good behaviour while in prison, saying that he's a "model prisoner" who has "helped other inmates".

But Caroline's dad wishes there was another form of punishment for the "weaselly b*****d".

He said: "If the death penalty was still available here (in Greece), I would take it as an honour to be allowed to pull the handle to send him to oblivion.

"I hate him more than I have ever hated anything in my life. May he rot in hell."

Speaking with the MailOnline, Anagnostopoulos's lawyer Alexandros Papaioannidis said that his client feels regret for what happened, but that he "wants justice".

After his burglary story was discredited, he claimed he had to strangle Caroline because he feared she would harm their nine-month-old baby (ᴄᴀʀᴏʟɪɴᴇ ᴄʀᴏᴜᴄʜ/Instagram)
His lawyer claims he's been a model prisoner while in jail (ᴄᴀʀᴏʟɪɴᴇ ᴄʀᴏᴜᴄʜ/Instagram)

While he doesn't deny what happened, he's asking for a reduction of sentencing.

Mr Papaioannidis added: "He is not a narcissist and he accepts the court's decisions, since his conviction he has been a model prisoner in jail and helps out with other inmates and has been very well behaved and we will explain all this in court."

Mr Crouch has also claimed that his daughter's husband was controlling her finances and movements.

Anagnostopoulos puts on a show for the cameras in May 2021 (Athena Pictures/REX/Shutterstock)

Earlier this month, Mr Crouch and his wife revealed how they had been embroiled in a custody battle with the killer's parents, who wanted to bring little Lydia back to Greece. She will instead now stay in the Philippines with Caroline's family.

Lawyer for the Crouch family Thanassis Haramanis said the result of the custody battle is what the family "wanted in every way."

Haramanis told The Sun: "The little girl will now live in peace with Caroline’s sister and mother, Susan, in the Philippines.

"Lydia could not be more happy there."

Anagnostopoulos' family have been granted just one hour of access to their granddaughter "via Skype or other electronic means" every week."

The former pilot's brutal crime earned him a life sentence with an additional 11 years for perverting the course of justice, but he now hopes to get his sentence reduced.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.