THE FAMILY of a British mother murdered in front of her baby has won a legal victory to finally cut all ties with her murderous husband.
Tragic 19-year-old Caroline Crouch was suffocated by evil Greek pilot Babis Anagnostopoulos in her sleep in May 2021.
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She was found dead in bed with her 11-month-old daughter Lydia, crying.
Caroline’s father has now secured a court appeal to legally change Lydia’s surname to Crouch in honor of her mother and erase all ties to her imprisoned father.
David Crouch, who requested the name change last year, said: “It would be unacceptable for Lydia to be named after the man who killed her mother.”
The retired oil executive added: “It has always been my intention that his name be changed, since the day in June 2021 when it became clear that he had murdered my daughter.”
Read more about Caroline Crouch
Anagnostopoulos, 35, is serving 27 and a half years in prison for Caroline’s horrific murder.
He smothered her with a pillow in his Athens home before staging a botched robbery in a bid to get his way.
He handcuffed himself to the ground, covered his mouth with duct tape and even hung the family dog from a railing.
For six weeks, he deceived the authorities and even pointed out foreign “culprits” on police lists.
He even played the role of the grieving widower at Caroline’s funeral, holding Lydia in his arms as she was buried.
But Caroline’s smartwatch finally exposed his lies and revealed that his heart had stopped long before he claimed the robbery had taken place.
Helicopter pilot Anagnostopoulos, described in court as a “controlling narcissist”, finally confessed.
He claimed he killed Caroline in the heat of the moment.
The British-trained pilot dropped his appeal last summer and is now expected to serve a life prison sentence.
Caroline’s parents, David and Susana, have been given custody of their granddaughter, Lydia.
Susana, of Filipino descent, has already moved with Lydia to Manila, where the girl is growing up with her cousins.
It is understood that Caroline’s remains will be exhumed and also transferred to the Philippines.
It comes after a chilling letter sent by Caroline’s murdering husband of her grieving mother came to light last year.
The twisted Anagnostopoulos wrote an apparently heartfelt note from prison, ranting about getting involved in a sick blackmail plot.
In his letter addressed to Susan Crouch, the Greek pilot presented his version of what happened on the night of May 11, 2021 at his home in Glyka Nera.
He claimed that Caroline didn’t agree with the plan and convinced him to back out, something that angered the group.
In the letter, published by TV star In Greece, Babis writes: “That night they came to my house to take the money they gave me and you already know the rest.
“My whole life was destroyed in front of me, I was left alone at 4 in the morning crying, watching my wife leave and being threatened that if I don’t take the blame, everyone I love will be hurt, including Lydia.”
He added that at that moment he came up with the idea of staging the robbery because he could not reveal the identity of Caroline’s killers.
He continues in his letter: “I know the killers are probably already out of the country, but I couldn’t risk anyone else getting hurt.
“I couldn’t protect Caroline, but I would rather die than let anything happen to our daughter.”
He proceeded to claim that he was forced to confess to Caroline’s murder “to protect his daughter.”
He wrote: “I gave them what they wanted. I confessed to a crime I didn’t commit, made up a lie and said I was the one who hurt her after a fight. And everyone was happy.
“No one cares that I took the blame for something I didn’t do. You’re the only person who really knows how I feel… I’m deeply sorry for the unbearable pain you’re feeling.”
“No one cares that I took the blame for something I didn’t do. You’re the only person who really knows how I feel… I’m deeply sorry for the unbearable pain you’re feeling.”
The 35-year-old concludes with some notes about his daughter Lydia.
“Lydia has done nothing wrong and we owe it to Caroline to give her everything.
“He can’t go to private schools in Athens, but that’s okay, now I just want him to be happy, to have a good childhood in Alonissos.
“I trust you and my parents, I know how much you love her.
“Suzanna, I will always love you no matter what. I miss him so much. Just tell her how much I love her the next time you visit. “Take care of yourself and Lydia.”
Anagnostopoulos, who remains behind bars at the high-security Malandrinos prison in central Greece, was previously attacked by an inmate who wanted to kill him.
His lawyer Alexandros Papaioannidis told The Sun Online that Anagnostopoulos was attacked in an Athens prison.
In one incident, narrowly thwarted by prison guards, Papaioannidis said an inmate had openly admitted that he wanted to murder the killer’s wife.
“Reports that he said ‘I want to kill him.’ I come from another prison. “I’ve been looking for it” are true,” Papaioannidis said.
Papaioannidis said Anagnostopoulos was transferred from Korydallos prison in Athens to Malandrinos prison in central Greece.
The lawyer said requests for the pilot to remain in the Greek capital’s ultra-secure facility have been rejected.
“He is very concerned about the new prisons that house about 900 hardened criminals and he is very tough, very tough.”
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