Millionaire killed daughter 'he thought was Satan'

A millionaire insurance executive killed his two-year-old daughter after becoming obsessed with the horror film Bug, the Old Bailey has heard.

Alberto Izaga, 36, shouted "Die, die, die" and "I have to kill her" moments after repeatedly smashing his daughter Yanire's head against a wooden floor in his £1 million flat overlooking the Houses of Parliament.

He was hallucinating and hearing voices and had become convinced his family were possessed by the devil.

Izaga believed he was "involved in the act of destroying a malign and Satanic entity" when he attacked his daughter, the court heard.

He also believed he was part of a sect based on the philosophies of the Jesuits which was recruiting executives like him and trying to take over the financial world.

The court heard that until his "psychotic" episode Izaga was a devoted and loving father.

He woke up on June 3 last year at 4.30am and began ranting about God and humanity not really existing and calling for the little girl to die.

His hysterical wife Ligia tried to stop him but the madness could not have been predicted, the court was told.

On a ten day holiday in America which ended on May 28, last year, the couple had gone to the cinema in New York and saw the film Bug in which a man and his girlfriend are driven mad by bugs under the skin.

On May 29, he went to Geneva for a conference where he also became affected by a motivational talk by an adventurer.

On June 2, he was back in London but complained he was exhausted and had not slept for 72 hours.

The attack happened the next morning and during his ranting he banged his fists against a pillow saying he couldn't sleep.

Mrs Izaga heard him say: "I know what I have to do. I have to kill her."

After help arrived, Yanire was taken to hospital but died two days later.

Izaga had been a brilliant student, athlete and businessman. He was at the height of career working as the top executive at insurance giant Swiss Re based in the "Gherkin" building in London.

Judge Richard Hone told the jury it was "an exceptional case" and that it would be asked to find Izaga not guilty of murder through insanity.

The court was told Izaga had been transferred to a medium secure mental hospital and two psychiatrists were agreed that he was insane at the time of the attack.

The facts of the case were not disputed and Izaga will be sent to a mental hospital under mental health legislation.

Izaga sat in court next to his barrister David Perry QC. He was dressed in suit and tie and wore glasses and was still wearing his wedding ring. His wife and parents were also at court.

Jonathan Rees, prosecuting, said: "If ever a case deserves to be described as truly tragic, this is surely it.

"How else can you describe a case in which a devoted father killed a child he loved in front of her mother."

Mr Rees said the Spanish-born businessman was considered to be "clever and driven" at work where he was well liked.

At home, he played a full part in looking after his daughter and in family life.

"He was the last person capable of killing another human and least of all his own flesh and blood," said Mr Rees.

"All agreed, he was totally devoted to her and that the defendant had described his daughter as the most precious person on earth."

A neighbour said "he was one the nicest men" he had met and "absolutely loved Yanire".

Mr Rees added: "At 8am on 3rd of June, he killed his daughter in a frenzy. He smashed her head against the floor."

He said that even with hindsight, it was difficult to see how the attack could have been anticipated or that "he would lose control as he did".

But doctors were agreed that at the time Izaga was suffering "from an episode of acute mental illness which had a rapid onset".

Mr Rees said the night before the attack, Izaga had changed the child's nappy and given her milk.

When she woke at 8am, he had gone to her cot and picked her up and brought her into the living room.

Mrs Izaga, also 36, picked up the injured child, still dressed in her nightgown, put her on a sofa and rang 999.

Part of the attack had been recorded on a neighbour's voicemail after Mrs Izaga began ringing friends for help.

Her husband could be heard shouting in English and Spanish.

He said: "What about this, what about this? How am I going to sleep? I just want to sleep."

He also said: "Bitch, this bastard does not die. God does not exist, the universe does not exist, humanity does not exist."

When police and paramedics arrived half an hour later, Izaga began chanting "Big Ben, Big Ben" for five minutes.

Later, he began to lick the face of a neighbour who came to try and help him.