Couple guilty of baby's death

Carla-Nicole was 13 months old when she died

A woman and her former partner have both been found guilty of killing her 13-month-old daughter in Aberdeenshire.

Andrea Bone, 20, was convicted of the culpable homicide of Carla-Nicole Bone on 13 May this year.

A jury at the High Court in Stonehaven found Sandy McClure, 27, guilty of murder by a majority verdict.

Sentence was deferred until late October and Bone sobbed as she was led from the dock.

His brutal treatment of that poor little girl bordered on the monstrous

Detective Inspector Ian Birnie

The decision against Bone was unanimous following the three-week trial, which heard evidence that McClure struck the youngster against a wall and knocked her head on the floor several times on the day she died.

She faced the unusual charge of murdering the baby by failing to protect her but was convicted of the lesser charge of culpable homicide.

'Gone too far'

Carla-Nicole died in hospital after police were called to a remote cottage the couple rented near Huntly in the north east of Scotland.

She had been subjected to a catalogue of cruel treatment over a period of four-and-a-half-months.

Detective Inspector Ian Birnie, of Grampian Police, described the death of Nicole as the worst case of child abuse he had come across in 21 years as a police officer.

Andrea Bone faced an unusual charge

He welcomed the jury's verdict and said: "McClure was someone who had clearly gone too far in the circumstances.

"Our investigations uncovered a catalogue of assaults and cruelty against a defenceless child by a heartless man who displayed increasing levels of violence.

"His brutal treatment of that poor little girl bordered on the monstrous.

"As far as Bone is concerned we are pleased with the verdict which reflects her actions or more importantly inaction in the overall behaviour she displayed in failing to protect her own child."

'Highly manipulative'

Andrea Bone, he added, struck him as a highly manipulative person who was prepared to tell lies to cover up the actions or inaction of herself and of McClure.

He said: "She attempted to manipulate us, the witnesses and the accused, McClure, in order to minimise her role in the shocking circumstances which led to the death of Nicole."

DI Birnie, who is himself a father, said all the officers in the case had been upset and deeply affected.

Sandy McClure was convicted of murder

Trial judge Lord Abernethy told the pair: "You have both been convicted of very serious offences, I need hardly say that."

He told the jury that the case had been "very distressing for everybody involved" before he thanked and dismissed them.

The court heard that McClure has a two-year-old daughter and Bone has a daughter who was born this year.

'All too familiar'

A spokesman for the children's charity NSPCC said Carla-Nicole's murder was "shocking, but sadly all too familiar" and called for tougher legislation to protect children.

He said: "For the last 30 years, at least one child has been killed by their parents every week in the UK.

"There is now a groundswell of public concern about the number of children dying from abuse in this country.

It is a sad fact that more children are victims of homicide in the first year of their life than at any other age

Margaret McKay
Children 1st

"We urge the government to act swiftly to stop further child abuse deaths."

Margaret McKay, chief executive of Children 1st, added: "The death of any child is a tragedy and never more so when at the hands of someone they depend on for protection.

"It is a sad fact that more children are victims of homicide in the first year of their life than at any other age.

"This is in no small part due to parents and carers failing to realise the fragility of babies and young children."

"Child protection is everybody's business. Our message to friends and neighbours is, if you are worried about what is happening to a child, trust your judgement and don't give up."