One of the doctors who assessed the teenager who murdered Alesha Macphail has reportedly suggested young kids should be tested for potential psychopathic behaviour.
Dr John Marshall, one of the top psychologists at the State Hospital's board for Scotland, agues that some traits can be exhibited by those as young as five.
Cruelty to animals or peers, constant lying and being distant from parents are among those tendencies, he reportedly said.
Dr Marshall was one of the medics who assessed Aaron Campbell, the 16-year-old locked up for a minimum of 27 years last month for murdering six-year-old Alesha last July.
"I think there's a misunderstanding that I'm sort of saying you can identify psychopaths much earlier on. I'm not saying that, I'm saying you can identify children at risk." - Dr Marshall
He suggested that intervening early could be important in 'diverting budding psychopaths and making sure what happened to poor Alesha never happens again', in an article for The Scotsman.
Speaking to the Press Association, he revealed he had expected a backlash to the suggestion.
Dr Marshall said: "One colleague has really criticised me saying I should never say you can identify psychopaths under five and I agree with that - you can't.
"But there are temperamental risk factors which increase the likelihood or probability of heading on that pathway. That's different.
"What I'm arguing for is that we are better at assessing those risk factors.
"A lot of professionals involved in child mental health have real issues with this stuff - you would dare describe a child at five as having callous and unemotional traits, such a terrible thing to say, you're damning them with that label.
"But my argument is if we ignore that and don't support families who have children like that then we're taking huge risks, huge gambles.
"To be criticised so heavily for that, it just seems like I'm saying what's blatantly obvious."
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In the Scotsman article he calls it a 'major public health issue' and likened the idea of tackling it to how obesity is perceived.
Dr Marshall said: "If you've got a problem with obesity at 16 you can track that back to over-eating and earlier obesity and so on, it's kind of obvious you can track things backwards.
"I think there's a misunderstanding that I'm sort of saying you can identify psychopaths much earlier on.
"I'm not saying that, I'm saying you can identify children at risk."
He added: "Genetic factors are important, temperament is important, I think we're not paying enough attention to those other factors.
"It could also be a relief for parents to know that - parents might feel that they're blamed for their child's early temperament.
"If we come to the conclusion those temperamental traits are present then those families will be issued with support around parenting, they'll need longer term support."
Campbell snatched Alesha from her bed as she slept at her grandparents' home on the Isle of Bute and finally admitted his crime in a psychological report prepared ahead of his sentencing in March.
Dr Marshall also pointed out 'you don't become a psychopath on your 16th birthday' and said the traits were 'entrenched and chronic' by that age.
Lord Matthews, sentencing Campbell at the High Court in Glasgow last month, said social work and psychologist reports 'had painted a clear picture of a cold, callous, calculating, remorseless and dangerous individual'.
He said the teenager had shown a 'staggering lack of remorse' and told him: "Not once did I detect a flicker of emotion from you".
In the psychologists' report, Campbell also described his reaction to seeing Alesha as 'a moment of opportunity'.
When asked about Campbell, Dr Marshall said: "It's rare for sadistic rapes and murders to take place generally speaking but people who are much older - I'm talking older teenagers - who have got psychopathic traits might be much more involved in a lot more offending than other offenders.
"They might be involved in different types of offending as well - sexual and violent offending, robbery etc - so it might be more varied.
"They might be much more engaged in bullying and coercive control of victims.
"It's highlighted because of the extreme nature of it but that type of murder is so rare."
