Caroline Crouch: Five clues that exposed killer husband’s lies from fitness tracker to Brit wife’s pulse monitor
THE twisted cover-up of a murdered Brit's killer husband was exposed by her pulse monitor and his phone's fitness app - as well as THREE other key clues.
Babis Anagnostopoulos, 33, confessed to strangling wife Caroline Crouch, 20, after police presented a stack of digital evidence that disrupted his timeline of the alleged botched robbery.
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He originally claimed robbers burst into his home, on the Greek island of Alonissos, who then tied him up and blindfolded him, before torturing and killing Caroline in front of their 11-month-old daughter.
But detectives have been able to untangle his web of deceit by analysing the couple's smart devices.
They found that Babis had in fact been active during the time he was supposedly tied up and Caroline's heart had stopped beating hours before the robbery.
Detectives also revealed the security camera had been tampered earlier than the pilot claimed, the couple had been arguing on that fateful night, and Caroline had tried to book a hotel to flee.
Cops revealed the helicopter pilot had an app on his phone to measure his steps that showed repeated movement from the attic to the basement of the home at the time he claimed to be bound by the raiders, at around 5am on May 11.
Babis had earlier said he lost consciousness for up to 30 minutes due to the constriction of the tape tied around his neck.
But data also appeared to show he was active on his mobile during the time he was allegedly tied to the bed.
The next clue came from Caroline's biometric watch that she wore on her wrist, which recorded her pulse rate.
It showed that the 20-year-old's heart had stopped beating hours before the time Babis claimed she must have been murdered, allowing him time to stage the robbery.
To substantiate his sick charade, he even drowned the family dog and hanged its body from a stair banister in a bid to blame the fictional Albanian criminals cops have been chasing for weeks.
His timeline of events was further discredited when police discovered the memory card in the security camera of the maisonette the couple shared had been removed at 1:20am.
Investigators realised this did not add up with Babis' claim that thieves had broken into the family home nearly five hours later and destroyed the surveillance device on their way inside.
It appears the presentation of a perfect family life before Caroline's murder were merely smoke and mirrors - as she had been arguing with his spouse just hours before he smothered her to death.
Officers said the couple had been bickering in the lead-up to the killing, as a text message exchange showed one had called the other "stupid".
Friends said Caroline "could not have the time she wanted with her friends and she was constantly expressing her complaints about his behavior," Greek news site Ethnos reported.
Police revealed the pair had also been attending therapy at the time of the murder - individually speaking to the same psychologist in separate sessions.
HOW YOU CAN GET HELP:
Women's Aid has this advice for victims and their families:
- Always keep your phone nearby.
- Get in touch with charities for help, including the Women’s Aid live chat helpline and services such as SupportLine.
- If you are in danger, call 999.
- Familiarise yourself with the Silent Solution, where you call 999 and press ‘55’ if you can’t safely speak.
- Always keep some money or a bank card on you, including change in case you need a pay phone or bus fare.
- If you suspect your partner is about to attack you, try to move towards an exit if you are inside the house and get your phone in case you need to call for help.
- Avoid the kitchen and garage, where there are likely to be knives or other potential weapons. Avoid rooms where you might become trapped, such as the bathroom.
Women’s Aid provides a - available every day from 10am-6pm or email [email protected]
SupportLine is open Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 6pm to 8pm on 01708 765200. The charity’s email support service is open weekdays and weekends during the crisis – [email protected].
You can also call the freephone 24-hour National Domestic Abuse Helpline on 0808 2000 247.
Caroline had allegedly messaged a pal on the night of May 11, telling them she was leaving Babis.
Data from her phone also showed that the young mum had tried to book herself into a hotel on the night she died, detectives said.
After an eight hour interrogation, according to reports, Babis eventually broke down saying: "That night we had been arguing from early on.
"At some point she threw the child in her cot and she told me to get up and leave the house.
"She pushed me and punched me. My judgement became blurred, I strangled her and then I staged the robbery."
Police have described him as a "top class actor" after staging the detailed crime scene and keeping up the facade of the grieving widower for over a month.
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A Greek public prosecutor is to decide the fate of baby Lydia it was announced Friday as the pilot appeared in court to face charges.
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The 11-month old girl is crrebtly belived to be staying with Anagnostopoulos' architect father and teacher mother.
The prosecuor will decide "immediately" whether Caroline's family home on Alonissos would be a better environment for the little girl to grow up in.