Nicola Sturgeon tells of her '˜revulsion' over Liam Fee murder

Undated family file handout photo issued by Police Scotland of two-year-old Liam Fee. Picture: PA

The First Minister said the significant case review into the circumstances leading up to the murder of the two-year-old by his mother Rachel Trelfa or Fee, 31, and her partner Nyomi Fee, 29 is the “right way to go forward”, but it must focus on learning the right lessons and not “jumping to  conclusions”.

She said: “My personal reaction is the same as the reaction of every right-thinking human being across the country – just one of shock, horror and revulsion, and also just an overwhelming feeling of sadness that this wee boy in his young life suffered in the way in which he clearly did.”

Asked if Liam’s death pointed to a failure in the Scottish Government’s planned Named Person initiative, as a pilot scheme was running in Fife when he died, she said she would not comment specifically on his case, but added: “The named person scheme is an attempt to reduce the likelihood of anyone falling through the net.”

During the couple’s seven-week trial at the High Court in Livingston, several witnesses described contacting social services in Fife with concerns over Liam’s health and wellbeing. The court also heard the boy had dropped “off the radar” of Fife Council’s child protection team.

Alison Todd, chief executive of charity Children 1st, said the “unimaginable cruelty” experienced by Liam and two other boys had “shocked the whole of Scotland”.