Boy tells of 'strangling' toddler Liam Fee in Fife

Two-year-old Liam Fee died in March 2014

A trial has heard a young boy say he "strangled" toddler Liam Fee - but that the two-year-old was still sitting up and watching television afterwards.

The jury was played a pre-recorded video of the boy talking to police two days after the toddler died.

Nyomi Fee, 29, and Rachel Fee, 32, deny murdering Rachel's son Liam in a house near Glenrothes.

The boy being questioned is the one the women are accused of falsely blaming for the two-year-old's death.

In the video played to the jury at High Court in Livingston, the boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, is talking to a social worker and a police officer.

Watching a film

When asked what had happened, he at first told them: "I don't want to tell anyone. It's a long story. I don't want to talk about it."

He later added: "I don't know anything about Liam."

When he was asked about coming to the police station after the toddler's death, he said he had felt "sad".

After being repeatedly reassured by the adults that he was not in any trouble, he later told them that on the night in question he had been "bad".

The social worker asked: "What did you do that was bad?"

"I strangled Liam," the boy replied.

Asked how he did that, the boy could be seen putting his hand to his face, over his mouth, before telling the interviewers he had used just one hand.

When asked how long he had done this for, the boy replied "a minute".

He was asked: "What did Liam do when you were doing that?"

"Nothing" the boy replied.

"What happened when you took your hand away?" the social worker said.

"He was sitting up," the boy said. He told the adults that he had been watching a film called the Green Lantern, and that Liam was "looking around", adding "at the telly".

The High Court was closed to the public as the recording was played to the jury.

Earlier in the video evidence the child described being with Rachel and Nyomi Fee - who are originally from Ryton, Tyne and Wear - Liam and another child on the day of the death.

He said they all got on the bus to Glenrothes.

Liam was in his buggy because he could not walk very far, the boy said.

He said they all went to McDonald's and Liam ate a happy meal before they returned to the Fee's house.

Other charges

The boy described playing with Liam and the other boy after dinner that evening and seeing Rachel and Nyomi drinking Vodka in the living room.

The murder charge alleges that the couple assaulted Liam at a house in Fife on various occasions between 15 March and 22 March 2014.

They also face a catalogue of allegations of wilfully ill-treating and neglecting two other young boys over a period of more than two years.

The pair are accused of falsely telling others, including police, that a young boy was responsible for Liam's death.

They deny all the charges and the trial continues.