A lawyer representing the family of a murdered British woman has accused her murderous husband of “acting out” after he once again postponed his appeal.
Caroline Crouch, 20, was killed by her husband, Charalambos helicopter pilot Babis Anagnostopoulos, 35, in front of their daughter Lydia, then nine months old, at their home two years ago.
Last May he was found guilty of the brutal murder and sentenced to 27 years, but has appealed citing extenuating circumstances to the effect that he only reacted as he did out of fear of Lydia, as he thought Caroline would hurt her.
However, his stop start appeal, which began in February, has progressed at a ludicrous snail’s pace with dates constantly pushed back because Anagnostopoulos’ lawyer was unavailable or Babis claims he is “sick.”
On Tuesday, the case in Athens’ appeals court was adjourned within minutes of opening after the twisted killer’s legal team used more delaying tactics that angered Crouch family lawyer Thanassis Harmarnis.
Greek helicopter pilot Babis Anagnostopoulos leaves the Court of Appeal in Athens escorted by an armed policeman on May 8, 2023.
Anagnostopoulos told the court today that he regrets what he did. Pictured in Athens on May 8
He told MailOnline: ‘What we are seeing in this case is something that has not been seen anywhere else in Europe and it is testing my patience and that of the court.
“Every few weeks I travel three hours in one direction only to have the case suspended after we start and then I have to travel three hours back.
“Babis may be studying for his law exams in prison so he can get a law degree, but he should apply to acting school in my opinion. It is a joke. It is a play.
‘I have to wonder if this case will ever end and why these delaying tactics. I think we’ve sat for about four hours total since we started all of this in February.
Caroline’s father, retired engineer David, also criticized the delay, telling MailOnline: ‘This has become a farce.
“What I can’t understand is why the Greek judicial system allows all this nonsense, why can’t they just tell them to make their case and if they don’t, bad luck.”
At the last session, Anagnostopoulos’ lawyer, Alexandros Papaioannides, said he was unable to attend and it later emerged that his replacement was not qualified to act on behalf of the defendant, who was also not in court.
The president of the court reluctantly agreed to an adjournment until Thursday, but stressed that it must proceed and scheduled more hearings for next month so the case can be completed.
Anagnostopoulos was held by police after spinning a web of lies claiming thieves had killed Caroline after breaking into her luxury apartment in a suburb of the Greek capital, Athens.
He even cruelly killed the couple’s dog Roxy to make the story more realistic before suffocating Caroline in her sleep and then tying himself up.
Detectives cracked the case after noticing data from fitness apps on Caroline’s smartwatch did not match his story and he was held after crying crocodile tears at his wife’s funeral on the island of Alonissos.
Charalambos (Babis) Anagnostopoulos (R) wife Caroline Crouch (L) and their baby daughter
Anagnostopoulos was found guilty of the premeditated murder of his wife and sentenced to 27½ years in prison in 2022 for the crime.
This included a jail term of 11 years and six months for Roxy’s murder, as well as a fine of €21,000 (£18,316).
For the murder of his wife, he received a life sentence.
After the sentence was handed down, his lawyer said the result was “expected”.
But Agnostopoulos has sought to reduce the sentence on the grounds that he claims the murder was not premeditated.
In February, Crouch’s family ruled against the appeal.
Her father said: “It is absolutely despicable that my daughter’s killer is trying to reduce her prison sentence because of her ‘good behaviour’.
‘The crime committed by the murderer, that of femicide, is a heinous crime that should deserve a particularly severe penalty.
“In my opinion, men who kill their wives, for whatever reason, are the lowest of the low, next to pedophiles.”
Agnostopoulos called his parents and four other witnesses to appear in his defense during an appeal in early May.
Ahead of the May 8 hearing, defense lawyer Alexandros Papaioannides said: ‘There will be many new witnesses and documents that will contain elements that will help reverse this case.
‘I think there will be a more correct assessment [by the court] of the circumstances that prevailed that day as to the crime he committed and whether it was committed on the spur of the moment’.
Babis Anagnostopoulos leaves the Athens Court of Appeal on May 8, 2023
Babis Anagnostopoulos (left) is pictured with Caroline Crouch (right)
Papaioannidis has previously argued that his client is a “model prisoner” who “reads a lot and works in the prison canteen” and should not be punished for a crime “that was never premeditated.”
The state coroner has said that Crouch would have suffered “a long and agonizing death.”
The pilot restrained her as she slept in the couple’s Athens duplex, struggling as she tried to defend herself as he suffocated her for five minutes with a pillow.
I am Rakesh Sharma, I associated with Elite News as an Editor, since 2021. I take care of all the news operations like content, budget, hiring and policy making.