Liam was born in Ryton, Tyne and Weir, a rural town in the UK but shortly after his birth his mother, Rachel Trelfa, 31 left his father and started a civil partnership with another woman, Nyomi Fee, 29.
The couple had two other boys in their care as they began a life together.
But it wasn’t any sort of life for the three little boys who have since told police of the cage they were tied to, of how they were forced to eat their own vomit and how their mothers once tied two-year-old Liam to a cage in a room full of pet rats and snakes.
In a recording played to the High Court one of the boys said Rachel Fee showed him a drill-like device used for “chopping off willies”.
At times the children were tied to a chair naked all night.
Another boy told the court of being forced to eat dog poo and at times even his own vomit.
He said: “I’d been sick in a bowl and she (Fee) made me eat it all. My sick. I kept spitting it out as well. I kept being sick.
“She held up a jacket so she couldn’t see me.”
The jury listened to more than 20 hours of recorded interviews conducted separately with the surviving boys.
But little Liam fared the worst. The police officer who led the investigation into Liam Fee's death has said the two-year-old was subjected to "horrendous abuse" at the hands of his mother and her partner.
When he was found he had more than 30 injuries including bruising around his private parts reports the BBC.
The worst of these included a broken leg and a broken arm which had been left without any medical attention for several days.
The jury wept when they watched a police video showing Liam’s body hours after he was killed. They heard that Liam would have been in visible pain with his broken bones, and his mothers knew he was suffering, but still they refused to get him treatment - for three days
Their internet history reveals they were searching “how long can you live with a broken bone” and “hip brace for toddlers but they never sought help.
The court released images of the home where the boys lived.
The court heard that initially the two women tried to blame one of the other boys for the death of Liam. They told police that the child had strangled Liam.
The court heard that Nyomi forced the boy's fist into Liam's mouth after he died in order to leave DNA traces then told him he had killed Liam.
The Guardian reports James Graham, an ambulance technician who was first to attend at the couple’s home within minutes of the emergency call, told the jury that Nyomi Fee had shouted at the boy: “You tell these men what you’ve done.”
Graham said, “He just stood there with a look to say, ‘I don’t know what I’ve done but it must be bad.’”
When the seven-year-old boy was interviewed by police he was under the belief that he had killed Liam, but police and social workers soon realised he may not have been the murderer.
The two women denied the crime and say they were devoted to the children but, police say the day before Liam was murdered, Rachel’s phone was used to search: “Can wives be in prison together?”
While Liam had attended daycare many in the community have said they were unaware he even existed.
Any time he was out, he would be kept in his pram and was usually covered by a blanket as his development had been stunted.
His teachers at one point called in social services after they noticed bruising on the little boy, but they were told by Rachel and Nyomi Fee Liam had simply bumped his head, they accepted this explanation left and the family then “fell off the radar.”
Social Work Scotland president Elaine Torrance told the BBC said Liam's death was "an absolute tragedy".
Ms Torrance said "What makes it worse is that the abuse was carried out by the very people Liam should have been able to trust the most: his mum and his step-mum.
"Cases like these are exceptional and children dying at the hands of their parents remains a rare occurrence in Scotland.
"Parents are the primary protectors of their children and when that relationship fails and where people go out of their way to keep agencies at arm's length, children can be at terrible risk."
Police have praised the other two boys for their help in securing the conviction of the two women.
Detective Inspector Rory Hamilton, who led the investigation, said outside court “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.”
Rachel and Nyomi Fee were found guilty of Liam’s murder and a raft of other abuses. They will be sentenced in the coming weeks.
For help: Lifeline 13 11 14. Kid's Helpline: 1800 55 1800.
Top Comments
Rest in peace Liam. It's not fair that you had to live through that.
This. This is where our hatred should be directed