31/05/2016 Reporting Scotland

and on BBC One we now join the BBC's news teams where you are.

The short and tragic life of Liam Fee.

Brutalised and killed by his mother and her partner.

Rachel and Nyomi Fee had denied killing Rachel's two-year-old son -

We examine the circumstances surrounding this disturbing case

and ask if social work failings contributed to the toddler's death.

Critics describe a steady decline in pupil attainment in maths

The government says improvement is its top priority.

British and German naval cadets light a candle for peace

as thousands gather in Orkney for the hundredth anniversary

And the world famous Turnberry golf course reopens tomorrow

after its transformation by Donald Trump.

A mother and her partner have been found guilty of murdering her son,

Rachel and Nyomi Fee were found guilty of killing the toddler

Both women had denied killing Rachel's two-year-old son in a house

near Glenrothes in Fife - they'd blamed his death on another child.

Our reporter Lisa Summers is at the High Court in Livingston

This has been a harrowing and highly emotional and distressing case. Much

of the evidence over the past seven weeks has been too graphic to

report. Some of the tales of cruelty, the psychological and

physical abuse at Rachel and Nyomi Fee inflicted on two young boys. And

the assault and escalating violence and cruelty against Liam Fee. The

jury at the High Court in Livingston have been deliberating now for three

days, over ten hours, finally became back with a verdict of guilty

against Rachel and Nyomi Fee on all charges against them.

Even as the verdict was read out in court ritualised Nyomi Fee remained

impassive, looking straight in front of them. Guilty of a catalogue of

horrendous abuse against two young boys and the murder of a defenceless

and vulnerable young child. It was an escalating pattern violence

against Liam that left him with a broken leg, fractured arm and

ultimately a blow to his small body so severe that it ruptured his

heart. Liam 's father Joe left the court shortly after the verdict, he

had broken down in the public gallery with his head in his hands

as he sobbed. Some of those who had been friends with Rachel and Nyomi

Fee sat through the later stages of the trial. As far as our friendship

is concerned it is finished. I cannot even call them parents. The

jury had to endure some truly terrible evidence, perhaps the

worst crime scene video from the night that Liam died. The camera

tracks around the house and into the bedroom and the jury can see the boy

lying lifeless and pale on the floor, dressed in his pyjamas. His

left leg bent upwards at an awkward angle. It was so distressing

jury members in tears and they asked the

excused by the judge Lord Burns from jury service for ten years. Rachel

and Nyomi Fee spent most of the long-running trial arriving together

at court on bail. Tonight apart and in custody they face life in prison

when the judge sentences are them on the 6th of July. We know social

services were alerted to Liam Fee on several occasions. But they failed

to take action. Tonight the child protection

committee and five says they will carry out in -- a review into what

went wrong. In the meantime I'm told the two boys who were also abuse are

being properly looked after and given help to deal with everything

they have been through. My colleague has the background to the case. The

death of Liam Fee is one of the worst child abuse cases in Scotland.

For most of his short life the toddler suffered at the hands of his

mother and her partner. Rachel and my me see also inflicted

catalogue of abuse on to other young boys. One-time friends have been

left in disbelief. You think you know someone it just goes to

prove you know the one. I did not think in a million years she was

capable of any of that. Especially towards a baby.

Rachel and Nyomi Fee moved from the North of England to this house in

Scotland early in 2012. Within these walls, they repeatedly assaulted

Liam. He died in this bedroom. Doctors found that he had suffered a

ruptured heart from a blow or blows to his body. The also discovered

double fractures of his leg and his arm and in total they counted more

than 30 injuries. Sean once regarded Nyomi Fee as his best friend. She

and Rachel stayed with him a few days after the death of Liam Fee and

his account is chilling. There was no emotion in them, they were not

bothered. They were sort of laughing and joking that they were going to

get sent to jail for neglect. Because they knew they were getting

done for neglect anyway, as they were saying. But laughing and joking

do you think that we will be in the same prison cell. Back in Scotland

police investigation was under way, and within one bed a

number of objects were hidden which add to the suspicions of the

officer. Cable ties, rugs and a chain. Five months after his death,

police charged by me and Rachel Fee with the murder of Liam. They also

have been accused of a catalogue of abuse against two other boys. It was

a complex enquiry according to senior officers.

The level of abuse and neglect that took place over a prolonged period

of time, we want all the details on that, we did not want to miss some

of the additional charges that could be brought against Rachel and Nyomi.

The trial gets under way two years after the death of Liam. The trial

took place here in court to that Livingston.

Over the course of several days the jury watched video taped interviews

with two young boys. They had been in the house the night

Liam died. One of the boys was the child that had been blamed for the

social worker repeatedly reassured him he was not in any trouble as

they tried to untangle his story. What also became clear was the

terrible abuse but the boys had suffered. They spoke of being

beaten, locked in a cage built from a fireguard, tied up some nights.

Forced to take cold showers and other abuses to appalling to detail.

The jury in this trial listen to some of the most harrowing evidence

ever to come before a Scottish court. Rachel and Nyomi Fee, their

sustained abuse towards Liam and the how these women could have been so

cruel. Concerns about Liam were raised

with the authorities three times and two multi-agency meetings

were held about the toddler. Yet he he remained in the care

of the women who would kill him. Could the authorities have

done more to save Liam? Our social affairs correspondent

Reevel Alderson reports. Concerns were raised about Liam Fee,

the little boy just two years old, on a number of occasions. His

nursery alerted social workers. Worried by a change in the boy star

found he had a number of injuries and he was losing weight.

Liam's childminder also major concerns known a few months earlier.

Patricia childminder phoned the police after

meeting the couple in the street. Liam was in his buggy and she said

she did not know if he was drugged or dead. A social worker admitted to

court that at one stage Liam fell off the radar.

and his case was not reviewed until further concerns were raised. The

circumstances of supporting families in situations like this can be

complex and there were a range of agencies

involved in supporting Liam and his family. The details of that will be

looked at through the significant case with you. You cannot call it

anything other than a failure. I think it is

important that we allow the significant case review to consider

the circumstances of what happened in some detail. The Scottish

Association of social workers says that bureaucracy and resources are

problems, front line workers spend more time writing reports than in

engaging with children and families and the work can be relentless and

traumatic. There's only so much that you can take and part of the

concerns we have currently in the UK, we are talking about eight years

maximum in terms of the life span of a child detection social worker. And

many people leave the profession because they feel they cannot cope

any more. It is relentless. Whatever the problems, again we are

any more. It is relentless. Whatever asking what more can be done to

protect our children. Schoolchildren are doing less well

in maths and arithmetic. Official figures suggest

the performance of primary school children in particular has slipped

over the past five years. The Scottish government says

performance is now stabilising but accepts there's much still to do

- critics are branding Our Education Correspondent Jamie

McIvor reports. both do well in maths, it is one of

their best subjects. We are doing division and timetables. I love

division, it is good. This primary for class seemed to really enjoy

maths but across Scotland things are more of a problem. Across the

country a sample of 10,000 children were assessed. Since 2011 the

proportion of primary for pupils doing well or very well in

mathematics has fallen significantly. While in primary

seven the drop has been almost as bad. The figures have been

stabilising though and secondary school performance is more constant.

But this is still a huge challenge for a government which says that

raising attainment is a top priority. We put in place

measures such as the attainment challenge, the National improvement

framework, all designed to support the achievement of higher levels of

numeracy within schools. Of course it is too early for those measures

to have had an effect and the numbers we have in front of us, we

want to make sure we will see a difference in the years to come.

Critics say the government has taken its eye off the ball. The most

damning statistic I just two of three timer for pupils are confident

when it comes to numeracy and that goes right down and secondary

school. Promised action include schemes to drive up the performance

of schools covering disadvantaged areas. And specialist teachers

giving extra help and support in mathematics. Nationally at best the

figures today our disappointment and at worst they suggest failure.

Driving up attainment is easier said than done.

The First Minister has recommended that James Wolffe QC should be

appointed as Scotland's new Lord Advocate.

Nicola Sturgeon says Mr Wolffe has an "outstanding

He'll replace Frank Mulholland, who's stepping down.

Alison Di Rollo will become the new Solicitor General.

A memorial service has taken place to mark the centenary

of the Battle of Jutland, the largest naval battle

Crowds lined the streets around St Magnus Cathedral on Orkney.

Further ceremonies took place at the cemetery at Lyness on Hoy

and in the area of sea off Denmark where the battle took place.

Cameron Buttle is at Lyness Cemetery for us this evening.

The cemetery looks out over Scapa Flow and that was where the Royal

Navy anchored the grand Fleet. There were ships as far as the eye could

see. They sailed from here to intercept the German Navy and the

massive fleets of up to 250 ships eventually clashed off the coast of

Denmark at Dublin. Shoulder to shoulder, the UK and

Germany united in commemoration remembering the thousands who died

at sea fighting a war that was meant to end all wars. Today they talked

of peace and reconciliation. Dear friends, let us practice loving each

other. Love comes from God. Set me as a seal upon your heart. As a seal

upon your arm. For love is strong as death. Jealousy is cruel as the

grave. Outside hundreds lined the streets, local people mixed with

grave. Outside hundreds lined the descendants of those who died.

People had travelled from all over the world to be here today to

remember. The dignitaries then sailed across the sea where the

grand Fleet was stationed before the Battle of Jutland 100 years ago

today. Eight Belles signalled the end of a watch and today it

symbolised the loss of the sailor. We pray the courage and values we

commemorate in our forebears will continue to guide the men and the

women of our naval services today. We acknowledge the pain and loss

experienced so many in the aftermath of the battle. And pray for all

those who continue to suffer as the result of war. Miles from Orkney

across the North Sea poppies were scattered for the deck of a warship.

Over the sunken wrecks of the great battleships, over the final resting

place of thousands of sailors who died in one of the biggest naval

battles that the world has ever seen. There are very few graves here

from Jutland because most men were lost at sea. This is a maritime

community and as we now hear there is a strong sense that the battle of

Jutland had to be commemorated and remembered.

The sheltered waters of Scapa Flow and over 120 square miles, one of

the great naval anchorages. From the start of the First World War this

was the base for the British fleet. And not just shelter, it was also

strategic advantage. Scapa Flow was the stopper in the North Sea bubble

because it was an area in the north that had easy access down into the

North Sea, close to where the German bases were. So it was to act as a

North Sea, close to where the German deterrent from the German high Seas

Fleet. But that deterrent was put to the test at the end of May of 1916.

My impression at the time was the centre occurred which blew

up and detonated every other explosives on the ship. This man is

reading from the journal of his father, a navigating officer who

recorded in detail the sinking of HMS Queen Mary with the loss of over

1200 crew. Joe and his daughter Elisabeth are among three

generations of the family who travel to Orkney for the events today. You

have that personal connection and it is very relevant to me and what we

want to do now. And probably hopefully avoid any further

conflict. You see the devastating impact it had on people's lives.

Perhaps the irony of Scapa Flow, these days the remains of the German

high Seas Fleet is the attraction people come to explore. Some of the

vessels thought it was a nail with the British at the Battle of

Jutland. Now they live permanently stationed on the sea bed of Scapa

Flow. A ghostly reminder of a centuries-old conflict.

The Battle of Jutland remains controversial and afterwards both

sides claim the victory. But the British they lost warships and

significantly more men. For the German Navy it effectively was

pending for the rest of the war but today all that was forgotten. What

was remembered was simply a huge loss of life.

Let's get the sports news now from Rhona.

Within the last hour it has emerged that the Hibs Manager Alan Stubbs

Let's go to the newsroom for the latest with our reporter

He has decided that his future lies in the English Championship rather

than the Scottish Championship. Yesterday Rotherham United were

given permission to speak to Hibs manager. He agreed earn personal

terms to join Rotherham as their new boss. Compensation between the two

clubs has to be agreed for the deal to be concluded. It now means that

Stubbs last act as a Hibs manager was to lead them to Scottish Cup

success, their first in 114 years. He will go down in folk lore thereby

disappointment that he couldn't guide them to promotion to the

Premiership before leaving. He failed to return them to the

top-flight. That task will now fall to the next Hibs manager. He are

will replace Neil Warnock having kept the South Yorkshire side in the

second tier of English football. Thank you very much to John Barnes

there. The challenge of playing France

should produce a better Scotland performance than Sunday's

defeat against Italy. That's according to assistant

manager, Mark McGhee. The Scotland squad

are still in Malta, And, as Alasdair Lamont reports,

the prospect of playing the Euro This is the base for Scotland squad.

On the evidence of Sunday's performance, much like the old city

walls, they are in need of fortification. The tranquillity in

the capital of this Mediterranean island should offer the players

opportunity for repose and reflection on where things went

wrong on Sunday and perhaps a chance to look at what they might do better

when it comes to playing France on to look at what they might do better

Saturday. Despite that acknowledgment that will represent a

step up in terms of the of the challenge it offers, one young

Scotland player insists he won't be overrawed by the occasion. Name and

players don't phase me at all. I'm not like that. I'm not very

starstruck. There is world-class quality there. You can't think about

that. You have to go and play your game, know what you are good at,

play as a team and you can beat anyone. Bold words in the face of

some of world's football biggest stars. The meeting with Scotland is

the final warm-up before they host the EUros. They might not let the

Scots off as they did Italy. Given their home advantage I think it will

be a much more difficult game. However, I think there will be a big

crowd. It will be a better pitch. All those things will help us as

well. Charlie and his team-mates have a point to prove once they

leave the Med. They will be back for their first World Cup qualifier

against Malta in September. He's transformed American politics

in the last few months. Donald Trump has also transformed

one of Scotland's most Work on the redevelopment

of Turnberry started last September, Its designer hopes the Open

Championship will return, despite recent controversy

caused by Trump. Turnberry last hosted the Open

Championship in 2009. It has changed hands since then. The new owner is

one of the most famous and controversial figures on the world's

one of the most famous and stage. Donald J Trump is calling for

a total and complete shut down of Muslims entering the United States.

Comments like that during the campaign for the Republican

presidential nomination caused a torn am America to be switched from

a trump-owned course. All the while the redevelopment of Turnberry

continued a pace. With changes to all 18 holes. Our job has been to

make this golf course as good as it can be, to make it fit for any

event, but also fit for general play. I think they will be

impressed. It seems the organisers of the Open aren't minded to drop it

from the rota. We have announced the Open champ yopship up to 2019. I

think we've been fairly clear in 2020-2021 it will be in England

around St Andrews in that period. No talk of Turnberry being off the

rota. The Championship Committee will make that decision in due

course. It's not off the rota. will make that decision in due

the time they are eligible to open the Championship again the

controversy over its owner may have died down. He may even be midway

through his second term as US President. Absolutely gorgious day

at Turnberry today. Let's see what the weather's

up to, with Kirsteen. Will it continue? Yes. It's been a

beautiful day with clear blue skies for many of us. Glasgow had a high

of 24 Celsius. The warmest day of the year so far in the city. It

hasn't been sunny and warm everywhere. Again today some eastern

and northern areas have been plagued by chilly, cloudy, misty, murky

conditions. Indeed, these conditions will continue for some parts of the

north and east over the coming days. This evening though plenty of

sunshine around. As we go through tonight I think in the north and

east cloud will tend to thicken and move that bit further inland. We

could well have some drizzle for eastern coastal areas and there will

be misty, murky conditions around once again here, too. Certainly, not

a cold night. Into tomorrow then, we start the day with a fair amount of

cloud in the north and east especially. As we go through the day

that should tend to burn back to the coasts and again, for most of us,

there will be plenty of warm sunshine around. Taking a closer

look tomorrow afternoon, disappointing chilly and cool

through parts of borders. We will hold on to cloudy skies. It will be

chilly with brisk north to north-easterly winds. Little in

terms of change as we head into the evening with plenty of sunshine on

offer. As we head into Thursday we have this area of high pressure very

much staying with us maintaining settled and mostly dry conditions.

After a fairly cloudy start across much of the north and east it will

burn back towards the coasts. Plenty of sunshine, the best in the west.

Highs of 19-20 Celsius. We do it all again into Friday. That's the

forecast. Jackie. Thank you very much.

Now, a reminder of tonight's main news.

A mother and her partner have been found guilty of mvurdering her son,

Liam Fee. Rachel and Nyomi Fee were found guilty of killing the toddler

in March 2014. Both women had denied