Keith Winfield's appeal was denied Friday. At his trial, seen here, Winfield, a Somerville police officer, was convicted of child rape and sentenced to life in prison. By George P. Hassett An ex-Somerville cop convicted of a horrific sexual attack on a 23-month old child had his appeal denied on Friday, May 14. Lawyers for Keith Winfield were asking judges to vacate a 2007 guilty verdict or grant the former police officer a new trial. Winfield was convicted of burning and raping his infant niece with a hot object while he babysat her in his Melrose home.

In the appeal, his lawyers challenged a lack of direct evidence against Winfield and the trial judge's decision to admit graphic photos of the victim's injuries. Winfield's lawyers contended that the victim's mother should have been questioned on a criminal complaint against her for allegedly forging drug prescriptions.

The three judge appeal panel upheld Winfield's conviction and sentence of life in prison.

During the trial prosecutors never introduced evidence directly implicating Winfield for the crime. Instead, they emphasized the sequence of events that led to him being alone with the child for 45 minutes on the day doctors said the rape occurred.

In the interview, Winfield said he suspected the child's mother, his wife's sister, of stealing money from his home and that he "would have never, ever, ever, ever wanted to take on another child."

Winfield joined the Somerville Police Department in 2000. He turned in his badge and gun and was placed on administrative leave in October 2005 after city officials learned he was being investigated for the rape. He was indicted for the crime nine months later in August 2006.

Immediately after Winfield was convicted in November 2007, his mother and brother were arrested in the courtroom for shouting at jurors and the victim's mother.