A mother and her civil partner have been jailed for life for murdering her toddler son after subjecting him to more than two years of abuse and neglect.

Defenceless two-year-old Liam Fee died at his home near Glenrothes, Fife, on March 22, 2014 after suffering heart injuries similar to those found on road crash victims.

Two-year-old Liam Fee

His mother Rachel Trelfa now Fee, 31, formerly of Macclesfield, and her partner Nyomi Fee, 29, tried to pin the blame for the death on a young boy but were convicted of Liam’s murder in May following a seven-week trial at the High Court in Livingston.

The pair - who lived in Ryton, Tyne and Wear before moving to Scotland - were also found guilty of a catalogue of horrific cruelty against two boys in their care, including the one they blamed for Liam’s death.

Sitting at the High Court in Edinburgh, judge Lord Burns handed both women mandatory life sentences.
He ordered Trelfa to serve a minimum of 23-and-a-half years behind bars, while Fee must spend at least 24 years in prison before she can even be considered for release.