Police probe child killer's release

Diego was stabbed 20 times before he died

Police are investigating the circumstances which allowed an obsessed fan of occult writer Aleister Crowley to leave custody and murder a 12-year-old boy.

Edward Crowley, 53, was jailed for life at the Old Bailey on Monday for stabbing Diego Piniera-Villar in Covent Garden, central London, last year.

The boy's step-brother Roberto, 15, was also injured as he tried to fight off the attacker.

I believe they did not do enough to protect my boy

Maria-Angeles Villar-Fernandez

Crowley carried out the killing after becoming obsessed with the boy and with the works of his own namesake, mystic and writer Aleister Edward Crowley, once dubbed the "wickedest man in the world".

Police and the Crown Prosecution Service are now investigating why, even though he had been charged with harassing Diego and was considered dangerous, Crowley was released on bail last March.

An independent inquiry has been started into the mental health and child care aspects of the case, after complaints that the authorities failed to do enough to protect Diego.

A forensic psychiatrist had recommended that Crowley should be remanded in custody as he posed a danger.

But although Crowley had a personality disorder, he was not psychotic, and so could not be held in custody under the Mental Health Act.

Crowley, who had a long history of mental illness, refused to accept Diego's desire to end their friendship.

Edward Crowley could not accept that Diego wanted to end friendship

The court heard Crowley had bought the boy presents, they had wrestled together and gone swimming but no sexual abuse had taken place.

After Crowley wrote of his love for Diego in correcting fluid on his school gates in Ladbroke Grove, the boy was given a mobile telephone and told not to leave school without an adult.

Crowley was charged with harassment after the boy's family complained that he had been stalking Diego but he was later released on bail.

But on 7 May Crowley found Diego alone with Roberto in Covent Garden and stabbed him more than 20 times with a knife.

Metropolitan Police Commander David Smith said the service took any allegations of crimes against children very seriously.

"There is currently a review under way which will look at the handling of this incident by all the agencies to see if there are lessons to be learnt from this terrible episode," he said.

Police arresting Crowley, after the fatal stabbing found he was carrying an inscription in Latin which read "Diego must die" and diagrams relating to sacrifices.

Mother's outburst

Judge Neil Denison, the Common Serjeant of London, ordered that charges of attempted murder and wounding of Roberto should "lie on file" after the prosecution decided that making the boy relive the ordeal would not be in the public interest.

He also lifted an earlier ban on naming the boys.

Writer Aleister Edward Crowley

Born 1875. Died 1947

Self-styled 'Great beast'

Dubbed 'wickedest man alive'

100 works on occult and magic

Motto: 'Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law'

Diego's mother Maria-Angeles Villar-Fernandez was overwhelmed by the trial and had to be dragged from the Old Bailey after she hurled missiles and abuse at her son's killer.

Mrs Villar-Fernandez threw water, plastic containers and court files at Crowley as she heard how he had formed an intimate relationship with her son a year before the murder.

Local restaurant worker Anwar Khan witnessed the Covent Garden attack.

"There was no mercy," he said. "It was very cold. Just jab, jab, jab."

Diego's mother had told the police she was petrified that something would happen to her "precious angel" - a fear which turned to reality.

"I believe they did not do enough to protect my boy. I blame the police as much as this criminal for what happened."