Liam Fee murder: Accused denies losing temper and killing toddler

Liam Fee's mother and her partner are accused of his murder. Picture: Contributed

Nyomi Fee, 28, told her trial she had never harmed the child on any occasion.

She did accept that Liam would be here today if she had taken him to hospital for treatment to a leg injury sustained days before his death – an injury prosecutors claim would have left the “defenceless” boy in “intense agony”.

Fee admitted that her failure to seek the required medical help amounted to neglect and ill-treatment, telling jurors: “I hate myself for that.”

Liam died at a house near Glenrothes in Fife on 22 March 2014. Fee is on trial at the High Court in Livingston alongside her civil partner Rachel Fee, or Trelfa, 31 – Liam’s mother – where they deny murdering the toddler and falsely blaming his death on another boy.

The pair, originally of Ryton, Tyne and Wear, are accused of repeatedly inflicting “blunt force trauma” to Liam’s head and body.

Questioned by her defence QC Mark Stewart, Fee told how she went into Liam’s room and found the child “very white”.

“I picked him up by his arms and tried to make him wake up, and I screamed on Rachel,” she said, adding that she phoned 999 within “two to three minutes tops”. Fee said she heard a child in the house say they had strangled Liam.

Fee told the 26th day of the trial she was “devastated” to find Liam in that state and tried to resuscitate him.

“It wasn’t working. He wasn’t coming back, I’d lost him.”

She said she felt “gutted” and “was in complete shock,” before adding: “It kills us.”

The lawyer asked: “Did you have any part in inflicting the fatal injuries upon Liam or any other injuries upon Liam?”

“No, never,” she replied.

Fee also spoke of incidents she said occurred on 16 March that year in which she found another boy in the house “stamping” on Liam’s leg.

The next day, she said she noticed a “massive” difference in Liam and he could not bear weight on his leg, prompting her to “Google symptoms”.

Fee said she accepted she did not get Liam appropriate medical treatment for that injury, which she thought could have been a broken leg, and did so because she feared Rachel would leave her if she did.

She rejected suggestions she failed to seek help because she caused the injury.

The prosecutor said later: “You knew that there was a risk he might die and you allowed that set of circumstances to continue because Rachel might leave you, is that right?” Fee agreed.

“That is a wicked and atrocious attitude to have towards a young boy,” said Mr Prentice.

“I knew it was wrong, yes,” said Fee.

The trial continues.