A HEALTH visitor has said a mother who was convicted of neglecting and murdering her toddler son appeared to be suffering from postnatal depression

A HEALTH visitor has said a mother who was convicted of neglecting and murdering her toddler son appeared to be suffering from postnatal depression

Linda Flannagan said Kimberley Hainey "wasn't well" and "needed additional support" - but she only found that out months after her son Declan had died.

Giving evidence at a Fatal Accident Inquiry into his death, Ms Flannagan said she came to the conclusion after learning the heroin addict's score on the ­Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale.

Hainey had completed the test, which was devised in Edinburgh and is the recognised test across the world for whether mothers have postnatal depression. The maximum score is 30, with more than 10 suggesting the mother has the condition.

Flannagan yesterday said she believed Ms Hainey had postnatal depression.

She said: "She had a rating of about 22 or something."

Declan was found dead in his litter-filled cot in March 2010 - about eight months after he was last seen alive.

Ms Hainey, 39, was jailed for a minimum of 15 years after being convicted of murder but her conviction was quashed last April and she was released.

The inquiry, at Paisley Sheriff Court, continues.