I think this story must be a drugs abuse case. I can`t imagine that if that high-flyer would have been an ill mind no one would have noticed it ever and would have risen that point by now.

Miguel, Madrid, Spain

Reading many of this comments reminds me of Catch 22. The act he did is so vile and outrageous, especially given his normal, successful life, that you say he must be crazy to have done it. Yet you won't permit him to be truly crazy and therefore refuse to this as a possibility. Which means he must have pre-meditated it and coldly murdered his daughter intentionally. Yet you damn him for having something wrong with him if he had done this. And so the circle continues.

We don't know what happened. I am simply open to understanding whatever happened and recognise that with increasing complexity of our lives and our brains, comes increasing propensity for sudden and sporadic failure.

Tom Franklin, London, UK

Alberto and Ligia Izaga are the only ones who were there that morning. Whether or not the facts ever really come to light, they still have to live with the truth of how Yanire was brutally attacked by her dad.

I can only imagine her mother's grief when she had to give permission to discontinue life support.

I don't know if he will go to prison or to a Mental Health facility.

Either way I hope he never becomes a father again

Polly, Seatte, WA, USA

JR - I'm with Helen E. and Graham on this. Your posts do reek of sour grapes I'm afraid, and you're not just sceptical, you are emphatic in your accusations: "rich guys like Izaga think they can get out of facing the consequences of their action", and "he is clearly getting preferential treatment". These are your comments. Your comments don't question, they maintain your assumptions as truth.

Patricia, Henley, UK

Any one who murders has something wrong in their
head.......what one person does effects us all..we are all
connected..I pray for Izaga ...

Linda, Baltimore, Maryland

As someone who personally knew Alberto, I feel bound to weigh in on this debate. If I had read about this case and the man was unknown to me, I too would probably be condemning him. In fact, when I first saw the headline I felt physically ill. This is an enormous shock to anyone who knew him. His salary, his million pound home and high-level job do not come into it. This is a man who killed his daughter and we need to find out why. None of us know for sure what happened. But knowing the person he was before this tragedy, I can tell you that something must have gone terribly wrong in his mind for this to occur. Alberto was a down-to-earth, friendly, well-respected man. He adored that little girl and he adored his wife. At work, he inspired loyalty and was always the first to recognise contributions and thank people. On Sunday morning - he became a monster. I think we need to know why before we condemn him. The answer is not always as simple as we'd like it to be.

AP, London, UK

The subject of stress is discussed many times in these responses. People in 'the city' of London think that only financial 'high-flyers' are the only ones who truely suffer from the stress of making 'every decision the right one'.
Come spend a week in my ward where we dont trade in cash. Doctor's and nurses and other AHP's suffer greatly from making every decision the right one. Their stress is not about losing millions but losing life.
Have any of you any idea how stressful it is when you have fought hard to save a mother/sister/ aunt/ wife and then face that family to say we couldn't.
Get out of the way of how important his job was and see what he did as a human being. Let the courts decide.
Cut away his good looks and luxury life. Once your dead no amount of money or status matters, just grief and bereavement and reality that you're not coming back. Just like the wee girl.
I hope this family finds peace and comfort.

Pamela, Paisley, scotland

In America in 1991 a successful doctor, Reza I think, killed his wife because he was "stressed" and he pleaded insanity because he knew it would be taken into account when sentenced. Everyone who knew him said he has no history of violent or mental behaviour (similar to that of Izaga) but everyone sympathised with him regardless.....forgetting about the one simple fact that he cold heartedly killed someone, that fact was pushed into the background similar to how this seems to be going. It was later discovered that Reza had no mental illness and simply killed his wife so he could go off with another woman...
Izaga is a lawyer of course he knows if he pleads insanity this would be taken into account when sentenced.
I personally think we should all wise up and realise the simple truth, he killed his daughter.

v, glasgow, uk

Helen E and Graham: If you want to turn this into something personal then there is nothing more I can say. I happen to think there is a valid reason to be skeptic in this particular situation regardless of whether I personally have an inferiority complex. Many other people have voiced similar views to mine. To question something does not necessarily mean you're suffering from "sour grapes" syndrome or that you're jealous...

JR, London,

JR - your rant back at me is amusing. Get help about your complex. I'm sorry you obviously haven't achieved what you think you should have, but the way you assume so much about others merely based on whether they're rich or not is just bonkers. Like I said before, sort yourself out then rationally appraise world events before commenting on them, instead of loading your prejudice about difference "classes" onto a tragedy like this.

Helen E., London, UK

I think friends and colleagues are covering up for him.I think the same may have been there.........
I work in the city and now the amount of work related stress that is present.
Companies do not like this being discussed openly though.
They are afraid of their reputation taking a dent. Too bad, now because this innocent child is dead because of her own father?

hans wiss, london,

It is worth pointing out there is a big difference between 'normal' mental illness and the very tightly defined kind of legal insanity that could get you acquitted of a murder charge. To cut a long story short the latter requires that the defendant cannot distinguish between right and wrong - a criterion applicable in only a miniscule number of cases.

Edward, Surrey , England

JR - your response to Helen E. merely proves her point even more. Read all your previous comments - it is YOU who have ranted on and on about his "glossy life", patronisingly suggesting that he would have no right to suffering from stress. "Some city tycoon flips because he's "stressed" and we're all trying to apologise for him"... "rich guys like Izaga think they can get out of facing the consequences of their actions..." then you say "Finally, sure he is attractive, successful etc etc I and quite frankly I think all that is beside the point"! You contradict yourself. YOU go on and on about him being rich, and you admit you are making this into a class issue. Anyone responding to you will first reflect back to you what you write to challenge you.

How on earth do you know "he is clearly getting preferential treatment"? You have no idea what has happened or what he has done. You have a major issue with those richer than you and have a paranoid attitude to this case, it's bizarre.

Graham, London, UK

i hope he survives it. i really do .....

mark, alicante, spain

I was briefly married to a 'charming', 'calm' high-flier, who turned out to be a monster behind closed doors. He was extremely intelligent and, I was to discover, a brilliant liar and manipulator which is I guess why he did so well at work. If I had told his colleagues and friends how he treated me they simply would not have believed it. I was lucky that I had strong support from family and friends and a relatively easy way out as we didn't have children. A psychiatrist friend I talked to long after felt his behaviour was that of a sociopath., which is something I had never come across before. Unless you've experienced it first hand It's very difficult to spot and often only those closest see it. I don't know if that is what is going on here but there seem to be similarities. Whatever the reasons my heart goes out to Mrs Izaga.

SC, London, UK

I personally think we should all wise up and realise the simple truth, he killed his daughter.
v, glasgow, uk

Er... I don't think anyone is contesting that. What seems to be debated here is whether some sort of mental insanity could have been the reason. You provide a comparison with the story of a man who used insanity to cover up for what you say was pre-meditated murder. Interesting, but the link with this case is only in your head so far. I simply don't understand why so many of you seem incapable of accepting the possibility (not the fact, for we know nothing yet, just the possibility) that some mental abberation was the reason behind this. Why will you not let your minds be open to this at this stage? Just because you don't want it to be true, doesn't mean it's not possible.

Tom Franklin, London, UK

To Helen E:

For God's sake a little girl has been killed and you are still looking at the glossy picture of the life that Izaga led. If pressure at one's successful job addles their brain to such an extent that they commit such a terrible act then the picture is not as glossy as it seems. is it?

Finally, sure he is attractive, successful etc etc I never denied that and quite frankly I think all that is beside the point. Like the Lawyer (not from London) said below I don't want him punished because he's rich I merely don't want him receiving preferential treatment because he IS rich. Last time I checked we are all equal before the law rich, poor, good-looking and ugly.

JR, London,

"Laura Roberts has a peculiar view of human nature and the meaning of words - when I say that there is no excuse I certainly don't imply that it doesn't happen, just that no matter what has gone wrong inside his head there is still no excuse - period. "
Arnold Ward, Weybridge, Surrey, UK

No, I would say it is you who does not understand the meaning of words.
Compact Oxford definition of excuse: 1 a defence or justification of a fault or offence. 2 something said to conceal the real reason for an action.
You are saying that "no matter what went wrong inside his head" is no defence, justification or reason for his action. If this is the case then, that you believe a mental breakdown of some sort could not therein contain a reason, what in your opinion are permitted "reasons" for this act. Because surely you must accept cause and effect? This was caused by something.

Laura Roberts, London, UK

To London Lawyer:

A piece of paper saying you're mentally ill doesn't necessarily make you so. He got sectioned apparently because he tried to harm himself. Far more disturbed people in custody have attempted the same and were never sectioned but were merely put on suicide watch in jail. Sorry but I think his position in society has a lot to do with the treatment meted out to him. Not in a million years am I saying he should not be treated humanely but having had no history of mental illness and simultaneously allowed to plead insanity does sound fishy.

Finally, quit trying to tell us about the "minutely exacting standards under the kinds of conditions this gentleman (and his family) will have endured". Millions of people have immense pressures on their lives and do not go around behaving like this. However, if the corporate room does instill its members with such brutality due to those "immense" pressures then it doesn't say much for our system does it?

KJ, London,

I'm a Stress manager & accredited Trainer and I raise awareness to corporates and sme's about protecting their image by implementing effective employee wellbeing practices.

This whole situation has saddened me deeply, especially when the extreme outcome irreversibly affects an individual and their family.

My dearest wish would be to be introdced to the Head of Swiss Re and/or it's HR/Management team to find out how many more of their employees are potential “pressure cookers” waiting and wanting to let off steam in their unique way?

Who and want would this involve regarding potential targets?

How is it that someone in Mr Izaga's position in the organisation was not implementing the strategies aligned to his titled health position? And if not, why not?

Where was the support that he should have been exposed to?

These are just some of the questions that come to mind that should be looked into.
Enough talk, take action before these incidents become more commonplace.

Valerie Lothian, London, UK

In America, 1991 a successful doctor, Reza I think, killed his wife because he was "stressed" and he pleaded insanity because he knew it would be taken into account when sentenced. Everyone who knew him said he has no history of violent or mental behaviour (similar to that of Izaga) but everyone sympathised with him regardless.....forgetting about the one simple fact that he cold heartedly killed someone, that fact was pushed into the background similar to how this seems to be going. It was later discovered that Reza had no mental illness and simply killed his wife so he could go off with another woman...
Izaga is a lawyer of course he knows if he pleads insanity this would be taken into account when sentenced.
I personally think we should all wise up and realise the simple truth, he killed his daughter.

v, glasgow, uk

I lived with a man who was violent, he was also calculating, planned and in control. There is a big difference between my ex partner and the man in this story. I believe that the big companies who push their employees beyond their limits, the ones who do not care about anything except their targets and goals should face the truth: they are pushing people beyond their limits. This is not a man to punish but a man to pity because he was a loving father, a man who worked to excess to give his child the best but paid for it all with both his sanity and his child's life.

alyson morse, wrexham, u.k

IED in military speak means 'improvised explosive dev ice'. How apt.

C De Vos, Faringdon, Oxon

I find it difficult to believe that neither Mr Izaga himself, nor anyone around him, realised, before the event, that he had a tendency towards sudden outbursts of anger/violence. Is it not possible that such observations/suspicions were pushed to one side. Is it possible that the man didn't know what he was capable of, didn't see the danger, and couldn't stop himself?
If he really was ill, why on earth was a child in his care?

Marco, bhm, uk

JR - goodness, what is your problem? Quite frankly you sound jealous. This man is extremely physically attractive, professionally successful at a young age, apparently liked very much by friends, family and his work colleages (quite a feat), married and living in one of the most expensive apartment blocks in London. You can't take that can you JR? Your comments which assume so much when you don't know any details, exhibit more of your own personal insecurity about your life, your status, your lack of achievements than it does about this news story. None of us know what happened, but I am open to consider all possibilities, and to recognise that all possibilities exist for any sex, any class. Even the attractive successful men that you seem to have a problem with. Sort yourself out.

Helen E., London, UK

Hmm, how odd that this "mental illness" just appeared out of nowhere, with no prior symptoms or warning. I'm sorry, but this is just an excuse for another overpaid City moneygrabber to get away with what, by any other name, would be cold-blooded murder.

Those who choose this kind of lifestyle are never the ones who *really* pay. I've seen many close friends and family sucked into the glitzy, acquisitive City lifestyles and the promise of ever higher salaries is such that they don't know when to stop. They have lost touch with everything that really matters and no longer have time for their friends, family and the simple pleasures in life.

Why would anyone want to buy into that?

Nicky Butler, London, UK

I am surprised the extensive psychometric testing done by both this mans employers, especially GE, did not highlight something out of the ordinary. Or maybe the tests only look at how one behaves at work?

James, London, UK

"The press and some of the comments stick on envy and revenge to a "rich guy".

pete, london, "

Why on earth would envy anyone the sort of lifestyle that puts you under that kind of pressure?

Some of my own family/close friends have bought into it and I've seen first-hand what it's done to them. I'm sorry, but just because some of us would rather be poor(er) and happy, and enjoy life's simple pleasures, does not mean the negative comments here all stem from "sour grapes" syndrome.

N Butler, London, UK

Don - Drugs...definately not. Given what i know this is impossible.

pete, london,

Lots of very bitter and envious people on here. The press and some of the comments stick on envy and revenge to a "rich guy". The press have completely misled the public on this story just you wait.

pete, london,

I sense a lot of PR spin - HE WAS ON DRUGS, THEY WERE NOT HAVING SEX, SHE TRIED TO PROTECT THEIR DAUGHTER but none of us know what actually happened, And, quite frankly, does media speculation do any good or maybe bad/?

A little girl has died. Enough speculation and spin. Please.

H, UK,

I hope the gentleman, if found guilty gets both the sentence--and treatment--that he deserves, as well as the woman who assulted the elderly lady on the bus.

I read some of the responses, and, as someone previously wrote, it's very clear who understands and who does not.

But then, if someone has never done a totally unrational thing in one's life, how can they understand irrationality? If he or she has no knowledge of, and/or experience of, mental illness, than it's going to very likely be beyond his or her ken to respond logically to a story like this.

In a way, It's like an aththiest with no knowlege of regliion, trying to understand what it's like to be a nun.

Nancy, Glens Falls, USA NY

"Killing his daughter was just another cold hearted decision for Mr Izaga"
Michel S, London

Michel, if there really is a single brain cell in your head that truly holds this view, you are in as much need of a psychiatrist as Mr Izaga.

Laura Roberts, London, UK

As Head of Health Products at Swiss Re, I wonder if Izaga has insurance in the event of mental health issues, caused, perhaps, by work stress or IED?

ET, London,

Please, journalists - stop saying that the last taboo is incest, abortion, homosexuality...I could go on. The last taboo is DOMESTIC VIOLENCE. Many, many men (and women) have uncontrollable tempers, and people just DO NOT TALK ABOUT IT because it is so shameful to be on the receiving end from someone who loves you. Alec Baldwin, Sion Jenkins and Ian Huntley are just those who have hit the headlines. Believe me, there are many many more who hit out verbally or physically at loved ones and who will never be in the newspapers.

Sara , Avignon,

In this life you don't get something for nothing and those people who work in the city and earn millions work hard and work long hours for it .They should know the risks but obviously money is more important for them...Don't blame others or a supposed mental illness I don't believe for a second he is schizophrenic.

robert skelly, colchester ,

They are not saying he was highly stressed - he has been sectioned. This means that doctors have to make a decision that he is mentally ill. Or indeed it can be a clever lawyer ploy so that he does not have to go to prison but a mental hospital instead. Who knows? Some lawyers are as evil as their clients.

But if he is genuinely mentally ill then it is indeed a little bit more than being just stressed. He has to be seriously mentally ill to kill his own child or he could be just a cold blooded murderer.

How can anyone who has not experienced mental illness understand what made him flip?

He is the one who knows the answer.

Jodie Wiltshire, Leamington Spa, UK

Many comments here seem to reflect an assumption that by assigning a condition to this man, people are trying to make an excuse for his behaviour, rather than to gain a greater understanding of why such a tragedy should occur.

As a society we shall not gain a better understanding of crime (and thereby reduce its occurrence) if we simply choose to believe that every criminal behaves as such purely due to an 'evil' disposition, rather than trying to understand and then remedy the underlying social, neurological etc. causes of such events.

Richard, London, UK

Jim Ronson's comment seem to have missed the fact that he has not examined Mr Izaga, so to say that he "is clearly mentally ill" is a complete absurdity. Going back to the dark ages and defer to people due to their social status helps no-one, and yes, one can have kids and still believe that the law should be applied to everyone regardless their social status or income.

Fernando Barrio, London, UK

This guy lost his temper and beat up his baby, full stop.

Some men have been jealous of their children and ill treated them from time immemorial, he is not the first and will not be the last to kill a child in a fit of rage. It's not a mental disorder, some people have bad tempers and an "alpha male" outlook, like animals. He deserves to be locked up, like any bullying killer from a council estate would be.

Anne, Romford,

The point is not that people want this person to be punished for being rich; the point is the difference of treatment for being rich. One a couple of youngsters from a poor background stomp on somebodies head, the press and many people that now seem so "understanding" ask for stronger punishment but when is a prominent member of the City "it has to be mental illness or stress". And it is simply not true that those asking for equal treatment are supporting heavier punishments or don't know about stress. The article and those asking for understanding underestimate the stress of being poor and I hope they also write for compassion when a poor kid kills a wealthy person. And it is interesting to see how many specialists in mental health are in this country (almost every reader). Saying that it is mentally ill because what he did implies that every person committing a crime is, unless you mean that rich people don't kill kids unless they are mentally ill, what is an appalling thought.

Lawyer not only from London, London, UK

Inzaga's priviledged social position comes from hard-work, pressure and responsibilty. He is regularly expected to make measured and informed decisions for which there may be significant repercussions. In short, he is a pillar of sound judgement for those around him to look up to. That is why, JR, his behaviour might be the result of temporary insanity.

I am not suggesting that a member of the lower class is any less deserving of such a plea, but that it is unlikely they have had such public recognition of their 'normality'.

That said, there is often disparity between public and private decisions and wealth in itself is no indicator of morality, or justification for happiness (Bob). Inzaga's situation should be considered, but should not affect his sentence or treatment.

Luke, Somerset,

Thank God for David Durham.
The comments on this page illustrate clearly that people fit into two categories when it comes to Mental Illness. Those who understand it and those who don't. To those who don't, may you remain in your blissful world of ignorance forever!

LA, London, UK

How do we know his name? I feel so sorry that the family name is splashed all over the papers, 'friends' and 'sources' offering opinions - what happened to the normal anonymity that surrounds these types of cases?

We will never know the triggers of mental illness just as much as we never know how each individual is going to cope with their particular stressload

There for the grace of God go us

Alex , Brighton,

Life of a high-flying financial executive is spent on business 85% to 97% of the time. (stating it moderately) The earnings of 2high-flying executives will enable this family to buy every purchaseable domestic private comfort, child-care, wellness, holiday etc.. So the stress factor obviously cannot stem from the private sector..maybe its time for the high-flying industry to take a good look at themselves and their private record of how many known cases of stress-suffering employees they have, and honestly try to understand that they are, afterall, dealing with "HUMAN" resource.

KMG, Southampton, United Kingdom

I assume none of us currently know the detailed facts of this case, so we have no right to judge it. To those of you who have not had a mental disturbance in their lives or have not been in contact with someone who has, you are extremely luck. However the chances that you or someone you know will at sometime in your life be affected by a mental heath problem. Think carefully about how you are going to deal with it and how you wish to be dealt with by others. Would you punish an autistic child for biting you? Would you you punish your senile mother for hitting you? Punishing people with a mental problems serves absolutely no purpose, treating them does. Some are dangerous enough to be under lock and key, and some are not. Remember to some treatment will feel like punishment.

Tim, London, UK

Laura Roberts has a peculiar view of human nature and the meaning of words - when I say that there is no excuse I certainly don't imply that it doesn't happen, just that no matter what has gone wrong inside his head there is still no excuse - period. I am utterly perplexed, however, as to why someone would go mad at 8 am on a Sunday morning, when as far as we know he was, until this moment, in full control of his faculties. What I do know is that I was his age when I started a three year sabatical from my professional career to spend raising my eldest who was two at the time. We both benefited.

Arnold Ward, Weybridge, Surrey, UK

this is tragic. however i do not believe his rage was the first one. i bet only his wife or parents know the truth. i would not be surprised if he has threatened his wife before this occassion. i speak from experience. after always allowing for my ex-husbands work 'pressures' i could tale no more. i eventually left after my 5th and final severe assault. my ex also threatened to end it all because he couldn't handle the after-guilt once the red mist left. he never apologised because it was never his fault. no-one is perfect in a relationship but no-one can defend violence to defenseless people. i left before myself or my children were killed, and i'm not being dramatic. in his rages i saw that loss of inhibitions, punched glass doors, broken fists, holes punched through walls and doors, heavy handed 'smacks' and pushes to the kids. this guy ain't 'ill' he has a personalty problem, he is proably a control freak who would even be threatened by his wife's success and ability to stay calm.

withheld, anon, scotland

PKG my analogy with Huntley is not as crude as it seems. One could argue that paedophiles have a mental disorder as probably do rapists and all sorts of other criminals. How many of those get routinely sectioned? The excuse for him being sectioned was the fact that he tried to harm himself in police custody. How many other criminals have tried to do the same and were put on suicide watch in jail? I am not saying Izaga should not be treated humanenly but he is clearly getting preferential treatment. Plus there is the fact that numerous articles are taking a softy softly approach to him. I repeat would this have been the case if he'd been a drunk father on a council estate?

Finally, if I'm playing the class card PKG it's because we live in a class divided society. While preferential treatment due to class may not be as crude as in feudal France it is still with us albeit in a more subtle form and I believe this is one such case.

JR, London,

What amazes me about the media response to this tragic event is the length the journalists go to to find excuses for this inexcusable act . In my opinion the reason for this is that the protagonist is extremely rich and therefore very much the type of person modern Britain places on a pedestal, one we must all venerate and aspire to be. Would the response have been the same had the killer been a poor father on benefits and living in a council estate in Liverpool? Absolutely not! In that case the journalists pencils would have been sharpened to deliver condemnation, not mitigating circumstances. High flying City employees make brutal, short sighted and selfish profit driven decisions on a daily basis with scant disregard to their effect on humanity. Killing his daughter was just another cold hearted decision for Mr Izaga, only this time it only truly affects his close family.
May the tragic young child's soul rest in peace.

Michel S, London,

Amazing - hugely sad story, probably mentally ill, because it's hard to imagine someone actually planning it or just "having a bad day", but half of the commentators seem so obsessed by the fact this guy is rich that they can't see past it. Too envious to show sympathy for an awful situation, or consider that it could be anything but a ploy to get off. Look at yourselves.

SL, London,

It may of course be that the pressure under which Mr Izaga worked may have contributed to this sudden tragedy. One thing is certain: few of the contributors to this site will ever in their lives have operated to minutely exacting standards under the kinds of conditions this gentleman (and his family) will have endured. Tthe effects of protracted extreme tiredness and stress are well documented in the annals of civilian and military medicine. Stellar salaries do not compensate for this.

More troubling is the by now familiar shrill (and unthinking) cry for the mentally ill to be punished. To punish effectively denotes an ability to reach and teach and assumes a cognitive response on the part of the "punished". Come one, let's get down to it - just how do you "punish" someone whose world is not the same as yours? Detain? Probably. Treat? Yes and a thousand times yes. But punish? Only a medieval fool could dream that up.

London Lawyer, London,

This is a wake up call!
Awareness, responsibility and integrity are required at every working level as well as in every family. May be taking into consideration that we are human beings and not human doings- could enhance our being human.

Mary, London, UK

I am finding some of these comments illogical. So many of you say there is no excuse for harming a child. OK then, so what made this man suddenly do it then if "there is no excuse". Many of you won't accept the possibility that something extremely wrong went on in this man's head that made him do it. I don't know why you won't accept it, perhaps you have subjective reasons for not *wanting* to, but the lack of you wish to accept something that happens does not make it impossible for it to happen.

None of us know what happened. This poor little girl has died. Surely wait before judging him against your pre-determined limits of possible behaviour.

Laura Roberts, London, UK

If this chap has never shown any sign of violence before then his circumstances should be considered. We should not lock him up and throw away the key before all the facts are known.

The article is correct in that we live in a society where people are expected to juggle too much for too long, but also a society where people want too much without acknowledging that humans have limitations.

The circumstances of this tragedy are horrific but we should not just assume that this man was entirely in control of his actions. Whether you want to believe it or not, mental illness is REAL and people who suffer it don't walk around with banners over their heads! Unfortunately, there are too many people who don't understand that, or perhaps don't WANT to acknowledge that.

LA, London, UK

JR, playing the class card is not very clever or big.

Paranoid episodes can be stressed induced. Izaga was a loving father by all accounts, Iain Huntley a multiple convicted paedophile. Painting everycase with same brush just shows laziness and prejudice.

PKG, London,

"Izaga’s wife Ligia is said to deny vigorously reports that he assaulted the child after she interrupted them while they were having sex"

That is an extraordinarily badly written, ambiguous sentence. Who interrupted whom?

Jonathan Wilton, Singapore,

The fact that this man may have been highly stressed was mentioned from the very first article. I thought it was irrelevant then. He murdered his child - being highly stressed does not usually result in battering your offspring. Thousands of surgeons, doctors and nurses who could be said to work under far greater pressure to "get it right" every minute of the day manage not to murder their children after a tough day.

Bella T, Smethwick,

Look at the structure of government - the history of the failed CSA and the problems rich people find paying proper tax. More children mean more money in the UK, regardless of earned income. In the States more children usually means having to work more to feed and clothe them. The rich people there don't pay tax either. Insurance? The newspaper story shows what a lie they live with. What nationality was the man from Swiss re?

caroline ailsa , Istanbul, Turkey

Laughable.

Basically this guy saw red-mist and lost it, for whatever reason.

Living in a $3m apartment and cosy buddies with the government, Stressed???? oh bless!?!?!

....having to make the right decisions everyday...and no one else does???

Bob, Southampton,

Of course he is mentally ill. There is no way that a sane person would act in this way. Uncontrolled rage leading to impulsive violent outbursts like this are typical of Borderline Personality Disorder, a severe mental illness. Many men in prison for similar offences suffer from the same disorder. Unfortunately, despite it afflicting up to 2% of the general population, it is still relatively unknown in the UK. Diagnosis is very difficult, and treatment even harder. To complicate matters, sufferers are often very intelligent and personable.

It is terrible what has happened, but it should be borne in mind that this poor man has obvious and severe mental problems. He is not a common criminal and should not be treated as one.

David Durham, London, UK

JR form London is right. Even Huntley wasn't sectioned on the night of his arrest. THis is a very clever ploy from Izaga's lawyer.
The end result will be he will be locked away in a cushy, mental instituion (yes there are such things) for about a year and then quietly released to return to Spain to "get better". He will be out in less than 2 months after that. Rich people don't go to jail.
It would be interesting to see if Swiss Re conducted any psycologial testing before hiring this man to do a job where "every decision having to be the right one".
IED? What a bunch of crap. Insanity Evasion Defence.
Interesting the TImes is already constructing a defence for the murderer of a two year old.

Albert Pierrepoint, London,

As the father of a two year old I can categorically state that there is absolutely no excuse ever, ever for violence against children. If he was under unbearable pressure at Swiss Re he could and should have resigned. This was his choice and he is still a young man. This monster had the opportunity to lead a normal middle class life without the stress and pressure of corporate life - and to spend a lot more time with his daughter. I trust he will rot in gaol for this unforgivable and awful crime.

Arnold Ward, Weybridge, Surrey, UK

You could probably assign biological causes or triggers to many types of deviant or evil behaviour if you tried hard enough - we are biological creatures after all.
However, there are no circumstances where this should ever be used as an excuse for the harming or murder of another individual.

Rebecca Tarn, London, UK

May I be so crude as to suggest that this type of psychiatric episode is typically the result of drugs - cocaine or "ice" addiction.

A very sad story and the pyschosis caused by social drugs is very common but not usually as dramatically reported as in this case.

Don, Sydney, Australia

The earlier commenters seem to have missed the fact that Mr Izaga is clearly mentally ill. Going back to the dark ages and pretending that mental illness doesn't exist helps no-one. By all reports the man doted on his daughter and now he's killed her and wants to kill himself. If you think any sort of 'punishment' means anything at all in these circumstances you've obviously never had kids yourself.

Jim Ronson, Cambridge, UK

JR's right. If Mr Izaga wasn't a millionaire executive from the city this would be being reported as the murder it is. But then we've learnt from Blair that if your'e in a position of power in the UK you can get away with just about anything.

SC, London, UK

You've hit the nail on the head JR, I have never heard the like. Anybody else would have been banged up as he should be. I cannot believe the excuses for this onslaught on an innocent child. I do not care how stressed he is, you takes the gain you take the strain, never heard of any coalminers doing 18 hr shifts for very little money going home and bashing their kids near to death, like the man said gimme a break

EN, London, UK

I personally have had experience with persons exhibiting IED type behavior, my wife being one of them. They are very normal people but they will flip at really trivial stuff, they are scary individuals and probably do need mental support however an offense like this cannot be camouflaged by any excuse and Izaga should be punished to set an example to other would be nutcases.

Jim, Birmingham,

Gimme a break. If this had been some drunk father on a council estate the press would have vilified him. Some city tycoon flips because he's "stressed" and we're all trying to apologise for him. Worse killers like Huntley weren't sectioned but I suppose rich guys like Izaga think they can get out of facing the consequences of their actions by pleading insanity. If there is any justice in this world they will take him out of that secure hospital unit and put him in jail like any other suspected criminal awaiting trial.

JR, London,

“People, especially those at senior levels, may be able to work from home now because of technological advances. But as a result they may not be able to switch off.”

Does this mean that people may go beserk at work as well? If so, there should be a rigorous examination of peoples' personalities, especially those "at senior levels" with a view to removing them from those senior positions for the protection of their staff.

There is absolutely no excuse for attacking anyone, especially a child, in this way.

Robert Steele, Camberley, UK

I think you have overlooked points that Hercule Poirot or Miss Marple would have been bound to consider.

Henry Percy, London, UK