The mother of a murdered 12-year-old boy was dragged from the Old Bailey yesterday after she hurled objects and abuse at a North-East devil worshipper who stalked and killed him.

Angeles Villar-Fernandez - with other relatives - threw water, plastic containers and court files at Teessider Edward Crowley, 52, as she heard how he had formed an intimate relationship with her son which ended in murder.

After they were hustled from court by police and officials the Common Serjeant of London, Judge Neil Denison, sentenced Crowley, who admitted killing Spanish schoolboy Diego Piniero-Villar, to life imprisonment.

Police said the boy suffered more than 30 stab wounds during a premeditated frenzied attack.

Crowley, of no fixed address but originally from Coulby Newham, near Middlesbrough, appeared unaffected as he heard details outlined of how he murdered the boy he was obsessed by.

He admitted murdering Diego on May 7 last year.

Born as Henry Bibby, Diego's killer was a disciple of the notorious satanist Aleister Crowley, and adopted both his hero's name and demonic philosophy.

A diagram found in his possession afterwards was headed "D Piniero is to be destroyed" in Latin. There were also diagrams relating to sacrifices.

Unlike his historical hero, who was born into wealth, Bibby had an unremarkable upbringing in Middlesbrough, becoming a pattern-maker for a short period after leaving school before settling into long-term unemployment.

By the time he was 24, he had been diagnosed as a paranoid schizophrenic and went on to attempt suicide on at least eight occasions.

He moved to London in 1994, losing contact with his parents. His father died and his mother now lives in a home.

After his arrest, police discovered that Bibby had changed his name to Edward Crowley in December 1998.

A loner, Crowley haunted Phoenix Gardens in central London where he first spotted and befriended Diego. Residents were concerned about him hanging around the boy and informed police.

Crowley said their relationship became "flirtatious but not sexual".

Although Crowley was arrested three times, police found no evidence of any indecency.

He was finally charged with harassing the boy, who lived with his mother and her partner in Covent Garden.

Crowley was remanded in custody for psychiatric assessment in December 1999, but eventually released on bail.

Two months later he stabbed Diego to death in a crazed attack with a kitchen knife.

Now an independent inquiry has been started into the mental health and child care aspects of a case which ended in tragedy.

Diego's mother had repeatedly called police to tell them that her son was being stalked and harassed, and was petrified that something would happen to her "precious angel".

Crowley's counsel, Edward Fitzgerald, said: "This offence occurred against a background of a relationship of deep affection.

"There was no sexual content, but when Diego rejected him, he found it impossible to accept."

"He simply could not stop thinking about him.