A man who raised cash for a cot death charity has been exposed as a violent killer who shook his son to death in a fit of anger. 

David Sinclair, 34, duped friends and neighbours into contributing to a charity fund in memory of his five-month-old son Joshua who he said had died after a breathing problem. 

But in fact, warped Sinclair had shaken the child to death. 

The Herald:

Sinclair was originally charged with murder but has now admitted the reduced charge of culpable homicide, the Scottish equivalent to manslaughter, just days before he was due to go on trial. 

Shameless Sinclair organised a fundraiser in Joshua's memory through the Scottish Cot Death Trust. 

The charity were so taken in by his sob story that they congratulated him and the tot's mum on their wedding day -- which would have been Joshua's first birthday. 

Sinclair, a former supermarket worker from East Kilbride, near Glasgow, married wife Kirsty on July 9, 2013, 

Unsuspecting wedding guests who attended their "reception with a difference" were duped into giving £5,300 to the fund. 

A fundraising sky dive and a can collection also featured in the unsuspecting trust's newsletters - even though Sinclair knew he had killed his son all along. 

The killing happened on December 6, 2012, when Sinclair was left alone with Joshua at the family home. 

He made a frantic call phone call to Kirsty to tell her the tot wasn't breathing before dialling 999. 

Emergency services raced to the scene where they found Joshua lying on the floor, pale and not breathing. 

Joshua was taken to Hairmyres Hospital in East Kilbride where medical staff battled for almost an hour to save his life before he was pronounced dead. 

The cause of Joshua's death was initially uncertain but the case was reviewed by a team of medical experts. 

They discovered evidence of trauma in the eyes and brain which could only have been caused non-accidentally close to the time of death. 

Judge Lord Bannatyne deferred sentence on Sinclair, who has previous convictions for assault, until next month for background reports. 

Sinclair's wife, who is pregnant, was not in court on Wednesday to hear the details of her son's death but is believed to be standing by him. 

DCI Laura McLuckie, the senior investigating officer in the case, said Joshua died at the hands of "the one person whose role was to protect and care for him". 

She said: "David Sinclair admitted to being responsible for the death of his baby son, Joshua, who died needlessly at a young and vulnerable age. 

"My sincere condolences go out to Joshua's extended family, who have endured this harrowing incident and continue to live with the pain of Joshua's untimely death. 

"A defenceless baby died at the hands of his father, the one person whose role was to protect and care for him. 

"Child abuse in any form is a deplorable crime. 

"Police Scotland will thoroughly investigate any report we receive, regardless of when the crime occurred, to ensure those responsible are held to account for their actions."