Mum of Brit 20, murdered in front of her baby says ‘no words can express my pain’ – World News

The grief-stricken mum of a British woman murdered in Greece says words cannot begin to describe her heartbreak as police continue to hunt a group of killers.

Student Caroline Crouch, 20, was strangled to death in front of her 11-month-old baby girl, Lydia, when armed burglars raided her home in an affluent suburb of Athens on May 11.

Ms Crouch, her baby and her husband Charalambos (Babies) Anagnostopolous were sleeping when the intruders burst in at about 5am, tied and gagged the couple and demanded cash and jewellery at gunpoint.

Helicopter pilot Mr Anagnostopolous, 33, previously said he told the gang where to find about £10,000 worth of euros in a Monopoly box – cash that the couple had on hand to pay builders after buying land.

Have you been affected by this story? Email webnews@mirror.co.uk.

He said he temporarily lost consciousness during the attack due to tape that was wrapped around his neck and mouth. The gang threatened to kill the couple’s baby, who was unharmed.

The intruders killed the family’s pet dog before fleeing the home in Glyka Nera.

Ms Crouch’s mother Susan Dela Cuesta, who lives on the Greek island of Alonissos, has told how she is struggling to come to terms with her daughter’s brutal death.

She told MailOnline: “So many people have spoken about Caroline and what a lovely person she was. But for me her death is too raw for me speak about her. I am sorry. I am not in a good place.”

She added: “There are no words that can express my pain.”

Police have arrested a man, who is from Georgia, in Evra in Greece and continue to look for at least three more men.

It is thought that three men broke into the house while a fourth waited outside.

Detectives are probing whether the burglars thought the couple had 100,000 euros (£86,000) hidden inside the house for the land purchase.

Police said samples have been taken from Ms Crouch’s fingernails in a bid to identify her killers.

Clothing and other objects have also been examined for DNA.

Mr Anagnostopolous saw through a hole in his blindfold and was able to give a description of the burglars, it was reported.

He was able to loosen his bonds and use his nose to dial his mobile phone and call for help, it was reported.

The first officer on scene told how he walked into the home and found the baby girl trying to wake her dead mother.

In a televised interview the day after the murder, Mr Anagnostopoulos said he “begged” the intruders not to harm his family.

He said: “I wish no-one ever goes through what we went through last night. It was a nightmare.

“We begged the thieves not to harm us. We told them where the money was and asked them to leave us alone. The police will catch them.”

The next day, he told reporters he had no idea his wife was dead until police arrived and removed the tape from his eyes.

In a touching tribute after Ms Crouch’s funeral, Mr Anagnostopoulos called his wife his “forever love” as he shared a photo of the beaming couple on a beach on their wedding day.

The helicopter pilot wrote in Greek: “Together forever. Have a nice trip my love.”

Before his wife’s funeral last week, Mr Anagnostopoulos told a Mirror reporter: “She was an amazing person, full of life and full of love.

“Our lives will never be the same without her.

“Take care of your family, sir. Cherish your loved ones as much as you can.”

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 the police.

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

Police have been taking a look at other burglaries and a long list of potential suspects in their investigation into Ms Crouch’s murder.

A £260,000 reward for information has been announced by the Greek Government.