Lesbian couple found guilty of murdering two-year-old son
A lesbian couple have been found guilty of murdering their two-year-old son.
Rachel Fee and her partner, Nyomi, were convicted of assaulting and then killing Liam, Rachel’s son, at his home in Fife in March 2014.
Originally, they had blamed another child for the death.
The pair were also convicted of a number of abuses against two other children, who cannot be named for legal reasons.
They are due to be sentenced in July, after the jury found them guilty of all charges following the seven week trial at the High Court in Livingston.
Liam’s father, Joseph Johnson, was in tears as the verdict was read out, which showed the jury found Rachel and Nyomi guilty of subjecting the toddler to increasing amounts of cruelty throughout his life.
Liam died after a blow to the stomach that was so severe, it caused his heart to rupture. In the days before his death, he also suffered from a broken leg and arm.
As well as Liam’s murder, the couple were also found to have subjected two other boys to physical and psychological abuse. This included forcing one to sleep in a cage, while the other slept in a room with rats and snakes that he was told would eat him.
Det Insp Rory Hamilton, of Police Scotland, said: “During joint interviews with specially-trained detectives and officials from Fife Council, the evidence began to build towards a picture of horrendous abuse which directly contributed to the version of events being put forward by the two accused being utterly discredited.
“This was a complex, challenging and sensitive investigation which involved interviewing two young children to establish the level of abuse and neglect both they and Liam Fee had been subjected to.
“It was because of their courage that detectives were able to identify Rachel and Nyomi Fee as being responsible for a wide range of serious offences against three children.”
