Liam Fee: Mother and partner given life sentences

Nyomi (left) and Rachel Fee were convicted in May of murdering two-year-old Liam

A mother and her civil partner have been sentenced to life in prison for the murder of her two-year-old son.

Liam's injuries were similar to those found on road crash victims

Rachel Fee, 31, must spend a minimum of 23-and-a-half years in jail and Nyomi Fee, 29, a minimum of 24 years for the murder and ill-treatment of Liam Fee.

The toddler, who was Rachel Fee's son, died at his home near Glenrothes, Fife, in March 2014.

He had suffered a ruptured heart as a result of severe blunt force trauma to his body.

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The couple, originally from Ryton in Tyne and Wear, denied killing Liam, and instead blamed his death on one of two other young boys, who cannot be named for legal reasons.

They were sentenced at the High Court in Edinburgh by judge Lord Burns, who told the pair they had "grossly abused" their parental responsibilities. The judge added that the post-mortem examination showed that Liam had been "subjected to a prolonged course of violent behaviour".

And he said the couple had shown no remorse for the "cruel regime of neglect and ill treatment" that had inflicted appalling mental and physical harm on the two-year-old.

Brian McConnachie QC, defending Rachel Fee, said she believed there had been a "miscarriage of justice".

Mr McConnachie said the couple were being held in different prisons, with Rachel Fee being "to all intents and purposes" locked up for 24 hours a day for her own protection.