The chilling diary entries of murdered mum Caroline Crouch in the weeks before her husband killed her have been revealed. Murdered woman Caroline Crouch penned heartbreaking diaries in code to secretly record horrifying abuse at the hands of her killer husband.
But Greek authorities fear publishing the 20-year-old Brit mum’s entries detailing her abusive marriage with twisted Babis Anagnostopoulos, 33, could “offend the victim’s memory”. Some of Ms. Crouch’s diary passages have already been glimpsed after being leaked to the media and social media.
It is believed the diaries, some of which were written in code, chronicle disturbing details of Ms. Crouch’s deteriorating and abusive marriage in the run-up to Mr. Anagnostopoulos strangling her, The Times reported. Excerpts depict a rocky and controlling marriage with her Greek helicopter pilot husband, which led her to threaten to leave him. But Greek prosecutors have banned further publication of the secret diaries, arguing that they could prejudice the trial. He has been charged with murdering Ms. Crouch and is facing a life sentence for smothering her after earlier disarming CCTV in the house.
After lying to police for over a month that a gang killed Ms. Crouchnally confessed to killing her at their home outside Athens on May 11. Supreme Court prosecutor Vassili’s Pilotis said: “The publication of the [diary] entries not only offends the victim’s memory … they may contribute to creating a favorable climate for the defendant and his line of defense.” An investigation has been launched into how passages from her journal, contained in a 26-page police report, were leaked.
But Mr. Anagnostopoulos will claim the killing was not premeditated. Instead, he entered a “blurred” state of mind because she was “verbally and physically aggressive towards him”. If he can convince the court, he could have his sentence cut to a maximum of 15 years. In one leaked entry, written last July, a month after giving birth to Lydia, Ms. Crouch reports her plans to move out of their home.
In December of 2019, she wrote: “I fought with Babi again. This time it was severe.
- “I hit him, I cursed at him, and he broke down the door.
- “All I wanted was for him to ask how I was when I woke up. I woke up so weak and tired.
- “I am thinking of leaving. I am considering going to my sister’s; I don’t know if I can keep going with Babi.
- “I love him so much that I can’t leave him even though this relationship hurts me.”
- In another entry in 2019, Caroline writes, “Last night we fought with Babi because I had a meltdown because of my hormones.
- “I yelled at him, hit him, and told him I don’t want our baby …
- “I am not well; I am distraught; I know he would never hurt my baby.
- “My love for her is stronger than anything in the world.”
On July 3, 2020, when her baby daughter Lydia was a month old, Ms. Crouch wrote: “Today my little one is a month old – it’s also the day I told Babi I want to leave … I feel awful.”
She continues by saying she found a house in Halandri, a suburb of Athens, and adding that she was thinking of leaving him before she got pregnant but eventually “stayed with him because I didn’t want my daughter to grow up without her parents.”
The diary includes several entries where Ms. Crouch blames her hormones for the couple’s arguments and says she feels “embarrassed” her hormones affect her so strongly.
