Suspect arrested over brutal murder of British mum, 20, in Greece

Caroline and Babis were sleeping when the intruders entered their home, stole belongings and murdered the 20-year-old mother (Picture: Instagram)

A man has been arrested for the murder or British mother Caroline Crouch, who was killed during a burglary at her home in Athens.

The Georgian suspect, 30, was stopped at the Bulgarian border in the north-eastern town of Evros during a routine traffic stop and was reportedly travelling with a fake passport.

Caroline, 20, was strangled to death in front of her 11-month-old daughter, Lydia, while her husband was bound and gagged.

What happened on the night of the murder

The family had been sleeping on the night of Tuesday 11 May, when the burglary and murder took place.

The burglars, who escaped with cash and jewellery, have still not been caught and a £260,000 reward is being offered for information by the Greek government.

The unnamed suspect has also been linked to a violent break-in on 7 March, near Caroline’s home.

DNA evidence reportedly placed the suspect at the scene of a burglary in Pikermi, just 20 minutes from Caroline’s home, in which an old couple and their cleaner were tied up by five men.

Caroline’s husband Charalambos Anagnostopolous, also known as Babis, has helped the investigation by identifying two guns used in the burglary - a silver colt and black pistol.

Police have yet to trace the weapons but believe finding them could lead them to Caroline’s killers.

Babis, 32, a helicopter pilot, will now be shown 30 mugshots of criminals linked to similar crimes in Athens, in a bid to identify the men involved in the burglary at his home.

The assassin and the three other men involved in the break-in are thought to be from an Albanian-led criminal gang.

What police have said

A police source told Mega TV: “We suspect that three members of the gang went into the house and one member waited outside as a look-out.

“We believe that the killer felt compelled to murder Caroline because she had seen his face and would identify him to police.

“But they spared husband Babis because they thought he was unconscious and unable to see.”

Babis could potentially identify his wife’s killer as he saw his face when the killer leapt onto the bed in a bid to stop Caroline screaming during the terrifying ordeal.

Police believe the killer felt compelled to murder Caroline because she saw his face as his motorcycle balaclava slipped off his face as he struggled with her. Caroline was a black belt kickboxer.