A probe is under way into the circumstances leading to the death of Liam Fee after the convictions of his mother Rachel Fee (31) and partner Nyomi Fee (29) amid claims a number of people raised concerns about his health. But the court heard that Liam suffered heart injuries similar to those found on road crash victims after receiving blows to his chest and abdomen.
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Throughout the trial, several witnesses gave evidence that they had also raised concerns about Liam’s welfare with the authorities – including nursery staff and a childminder.
The courage of two young boys was crucial in allowing police to unravel the web of lies spun by the two women responsible for Liam Fee’s death.
The Scottish Daily Express says jurors who delivered the guilty verdict following the seven-week trial at the High Court in Livingston were in tears at the evidence.
It was not until August that year that they were again detained and charged with child abuse and neglect and the murder of Liam.
She said: “They told me that they would send a health visitor round, but the feeling I got after that call was that I shouldn’t have bothered”.
The injuries would have left the child in intense agony, but instead of taking him to hospital, the Fees simply took to the internet, Googling terms such as “how do you die of a broken hip”, “how long can you live with a broken bone?” and “can wives be in prison together?”.
Two other young boys were also subjected to a “shocking scale of abuse”, he says, with one forced to sleep in a makeshift cage and another forced to sleep in a room with rats and snakes.
Prosecutor Alex Prentice QC told the court the women were guilty of “unyielding, heartless cruelty”.
The Scottish Sun features the wedding photo of Rachel and Nyomi Fee, which shows Liam in a kilt, and calls the women “monster mums”.
They tried to shift the blame for the death onto the boy of primary school age, who they claimed had been acting in a sexualised way towards Liam. It later became clear suffocation was not the cause of death.
Both women were found to have a criminal record for minor offences, including a theft charge for Fee, and there were allegations relating to drugs when the pair returned to live in the north of England after Liam’s death.
The pair, who were originally from Ryton in Tyne and Wear, will face life imprisonment when they return to court for sentencing on July 6.
After the guilty verdicts, Dougie Dunlop, vice chairman of Fife Child Protection Committee, said the review would reflect “to see whether there is any scope for improvement”.
On day 15 of the trial, the court heard from a senior social worker who admitted Liam had dropped “off the radar” for a period of time.
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She said: “I share people’s sense of revulsion at this and the need that we all feel to have very quick answers and to have assurances about what will change in the future”.
