Man jailed for killing baby set to appeal

Mark Simpson, 30, was jailed for a minimum of 20 years after a jury found him guilty of shaking and squeezing Alexis Matheson to death.

It emerged last night that Simpson was preparing to launch an appeal bid from behind bars.

Simpson's lawyers confirmed that a notice of intention to appeal conviction and sentence had now been lodged.

A spokesman for baby Alexis's family said he was surprised that Simpson might appeal, given it was a unanimous verdict by the jury.

Simpson was jailed last Friday at the High Court in Aberdeen for the baby's death following a 28-day trial.

He had tried to blame the child's mother, Ilona Sheach, for the child's catalogue of injuries, but the jury rejected his claims.

The murder prompted Lord Uist to demand a Fatal Accident Inquiry after he raised "serious concerns" with the way the health service dealt with the case.

The baby had been prescribed drugs by doctors at Woodside Medical Practice, in Aberdeen, without having been seen, and Lord Uist questioned the appointments system that forced the child's family to wait over a weekend to see someone.

The court heard that Simpson had carried out a campaign of "repeated physical cruelty" against the child while she and Ms Sheach lived at his Aberdeen home.

Expert medical witnesses said the child had sustained 40 injuries, including all but four of her ribs being broken, and severe damage to her brain and eyes during at least three attacks.

Sentencing him, Lord Uist said: "How you were able to act in such a wicked and ab- horrent manner towards a helpless infant is beyond the understanding of all right-thinking people."