The mother of two-year-old Liam Fee and her partner convinced doctors he was "self-harming" in order to cover up their abuse, it has emerged.

Rachel Trelfa and her civil partner Nyomi Fee were jailed for murdering the toddler at a house in Thornton, Fife in March 2014.

A significant case review has now been held into Liam's death, which found there were "missed opportunities" from different agencies to intervene.

It found Trelfa and Fee were "manipulative" and "devious" as they covered up the child abuse, playing one professional against another.

They falsely claimed injuries had been caused by Liam "self-harming" - an explanation which was not sufficiently challenged, the review found.

The report, authored by Dr Jacqueline Mok and released on Tuesday, said concerns were raised by a childminder and nursery staff who noticed injuries on Liam.

It said: "The clinicians accepted the mother's explanation that (Liam) was self-harming and added that lack of stimulation contributed to the self-harm.

"This led to a de-escalation of concerns. In the majority of occasions in child protection assessments, the medical evidence is not definitive, as it was on this occasion.

"For professionals to have accepted the mother's explanation that the injuries were self-inflicted, without further robust enquiries led to an incomplete assessment.

"At the medical examination (Liam's) weight loss was not recognised, and child abuse and neglect were not considered as likely differential diagnoses for his presenting problems."

The report said a more complete medical assessment would have found that the injuries were most likely from child abuse.

It continued: "The records showed little evidence of professional curiosity. The mother and her partner's allegations of (Liam's) self-harming behaviour were accepted by professionals from all services despite statements to the contrary from staff who saw or worked with him."

Commenting on the report, the independent chair of Fife's Child Protection Committee Alan Small said: "The tragic death of Liam Fee shocked and saddened the nation.

"The appalling nature of the crimes committed against him have affected us all, and are all the more sickening by the fact they were carried out by his own mother and her partner, people that were supposed to be loving him, nurturing him and protecting him. They are now serving life in prison for his murder."

He continued: "The results of the significant case review paint a picture of services that struggled to see through the actions of devious and manipulative parents.

"There were missed opportunities across services to intervene and provide support to the family and services are aware that they could have done better to support Liam.

"It's clear that professionals who were making strenuous efforts to act in Liam's interests were drawn in by the demands and needs of Liam's mother and her partner who were adept at playing the system, using 'disguised compliance' to play one professional against another.

"Aspects of this case could have been managed more effectively. Better information sharing should have helped services see the bigger picture and this would have helped in coordinating support to the children. All agencies involved fully accept the findings of the review."