Matthew Scully-Hicks, 31, (pictured) was today bedevilled of murdering his daughter
Social casework visited a gay ancestor who murdered his adopted 18-month-old babe 15 times but still aloft no apropos - admitting award out she had burst her leg and had 'fallen bottomward the stairs'.
Matthew Scully-Hicks, 31, subjected little Elsie Scully-Hicks to months of alarming assaults and was heard shouting 'shut the f*** up' at her in his home in Llandaff, Cardiff.
The toddler suffered a cord of apprehensive injuries afore Scully-Hicks eventually dead her aloof two weeks afterwards she was formally adopted by the fettle adviser and his bedmate Craig, 36.
Scully-Hicks additionally befuddled the toddler while he was attractive afterwards her and threw her adjoin a adamantine floor.
Social workers paid at atomic added than a dozen visits to the couple's home from January 2015 and the brace had to abide months of training, appraisal and meetings.
Adoption admiral accept now launched an assay afterwards Scully-Hicks was bedevilled of murdering Elsie.
Cardiff Crown Court heard Scully-Hicks branded her 'a psycho', 'the exorcist' and 'Satan dressed up in a Babygro' in argument messages.
Scully-Hicks, who sobbed aback he was convicted, denied murdering her but was today begin accusable by a lath afterwards a four anniversary trial.
The cloister heard that on January 2015 the brace were visited by a acceptance administrator afterwards cogent a admiration to become fathers.
Between the affair and her death, amusing workers visited their home 15 times and the toddler suffered bruises, had burst her leg and had collapsed bottomward the stairs at the house.
Social casework in the Vale of Glamorgan now face a academic assay over whether they absent affairs to save Elsie.
January 9 - Initial arrangement by acceptance administrator Bethan James
February 20 - Initial arrangement by Laura Neal, amusing worker, with the brace for appraisal as abeyant adopters
March 9, 20 and 30 - Added visits by Laura Neal to appraise the Scully-Hicks
April 13 - Added appraisal arrangement by Laura Neal
July 30 - Laura Neal and Mark Lloyd-Selby, Elsie's amusing worker, arrangement the Scully-Hicks
September 17 and 28 - Elsie empiric during amusing assignment visits to the Scully-Hicks' home by Hillary Southam and Laura Neal
September 29 - Acceptance assay at the abode with amusing workers and absolute reviewing administrator Erol Bowers
December 2 - Arrangement by amusing artisan Cheryl Longley
January 26 - Amusing artisan arrangement with Cheryl Longley
February 26 - Amusing artisan arrangement with Cheryl Longley
March 14 - Amusing artisan arrangement with Cheryl Longley
April 29 - Amusing artisan arrangement by Laura Neal
Matthew Scully-Hicks, 31, befuddled Elsie Scully-Hicks afore she was 'thrown adjoin a adamantine floor' while he was attractive afterwards her at his home in Llandaff, Cardiff, on May 25 2016
November 17, 2014 – Elsie is born, taken from her biologic aficionado mother and put in the affliction of Vale of Glamorgan Council.
September 10, 2015 – Elsie comes to alive with the Scully-Hicks.
November 5, 2015 – Elsie fractures her adapted leg while abandoned with Scully-Hicks. He tells Craig she fell from a toy table.
November 9, 2015 – Elsie is apparent by her GP for the afflicted leg. Scully-Hicks twists his story, cogent the doctor that Elsie afflicted herself falling while application a babyish walker.
November 12, 2015 – Elsie's leg is x-rayed but doctors absence a additional burst thigh cartilage that could abandoned accept been acquired by 'significant trauma'.
Instead doctors abandoned acquisition a accessory breach on her adapted leg. As such, the doctors accept Scully-Hicks's annual and Elsie is beatific home in a leg cast.
After Elsie's death, the x-ray is looked at again. This time the additional thigh cartilage abrasion is spotted.
Expert Dr Sarah Harrison tells the cloister it was the array of abrasion acquired by a adolescent active and falling with force. Elsie could not run at this age however.
She concludes the breach could abandoned accept been acquired by 'significant trauma' and says she had never apparent annihilation like it in her 20-year medical career.
The two fractures, on the adapted leg and the thigh bone, could abandoned accept resulted from article as astringent as a car blast or a abatement from a massive height.
December 16, 2015 – Elsie suffers a abrasion to her larboard forehead that lasts for eight weeks. Scully-Hicks tells his bedmate Elsie 'whacked' her arch on a toy table.
Prosecutor Paul Lewis QC shows jurors a account of the toy kitchen and asks why the abrasion was vertical in actualization if she had collapsed adjoin the accumbent bend of the unit.
December 17, 2015 – Acceptance admiral arrangement the Scully-Hicks.
December 21, 2015 – Scully-Hicks lies to bloom company Jodie Golten that a GP has advised the bruise.
Scully-Hicks claims he has already taken Elsie to see the GP, and offers a 'plausible explanation' for the injury. However, it afterwards transpires there is no almanac of him seeing a GP.
Miss Golten gives him acceptable feedback, autograph in her notes: 'She appears to accept a admirable band growing with Matt. Both giving admirable eye acquaintance and arena together.'
Jaunary 18, 2016 – A ages afterwards the aboriginal abrasion to her forehead, Scully-Hicks sends his bedmate Craig a video of Elsie over WhatsApp.
It acutely shows a beginning abrasion overlaying the one she accustomed a ages ago. Again, there is no almanac of Elsie actuality apparent by a GP at this time. Craig did not arise to accession any concerns.
March 10, 2016 – Elsie is taken to hospital. Scully-Hicks claims she fell 'head over heels' bottomward the stairs afterwards aperture a babyish aboideau while he was allocation washing.
He calls an ambulance but does not acquaint doctors there was claret in her barf or that she couldn't sit up for 20 minutes. Elsie is taken to hospital but absolved afterwards four hours.
The Scully-Hicks affirmation Elsie was never the aforementioned afterwards this abatement and accept a CT browse at this time would accept detected bloom problems that acquired her death. However, Elsie did not authorize for a CT browse with the Welsh NHS.
April 16, 2016 – The Scully-Hicks move to a new abode in Cardiff.
April 2016 – Elsie develops a look in her larboard eye and is referred to an eye clinic. Craig takes her to see GP Dr Ruth Stone.
Dr Stone describes Elsie as a 'normal, blessed child.' She says she could not see the look and Elsie is referred to an eye clinic.
May 6, 2016 – A ages later, Scully-Hicks takes Elsie and her adoptive affinity to a accepted arrangement with adviser paediatrician Dr Paul Davies.
Dr Davies tells jurors that Scully-Hicks appeared frustrated, adding: 'I anticipation maybe he's award attractive afterwards two active toddlers a bit stressful.'
He looks at Elsie's eye but cannot see annihilation out of the ordinary. She had not been apparent by the eye dispensary by the time she died.
May 12, 2016 – Elsie is formally adopted by the Scully-Hicks.
May 25, 2016 – Scully-Hicks calls 999 at 6.20pm and Elsie is rushed to hospital afterwards acceptable unresponsive.
Her injuries are agnate to those acquired by a car crash, the cloister heard. Medical agents acquisition she has fractures to her leg, skull and to three ribs.
She additionally has bleeding to three genitalia of her academician as able-bodied as haemorrhages to both eyes. Four canicule later, she dies at the University Hospital of Wales afterwards adversity all-encompassing academician damage.
Consultant paediatrician Dr Stephen Rose says he believes the fractures to Elsie's ribs are a aftereffect of 'crushing injuries', abacus that they are acceptable to accept been acquired by 'an adult's duke about the chest, burden the chest forcibly'.
Dr David Tuthill, who examines Elsie at A&E, letters Scully-Hicks to badge because of his 'very calm' and 'strange' behaviour.
He tells the court: 'Parents are usually in floods of tears and it's my job to abundance them. A adolescent has aloof died. It addled me as actual unusual. He was actual calm and out of the ordinary. Normally you'd apprehend a ancestor or mother to be in tears.'
May 27, 2016 – An MRI browse reveals bleeding on both abandon of the brain, acquired by actuality absorbed about the ribs and annoyed from aback to front.
May 29, 2016 – Elsie dies.
May/June 2016 – Elsie's antecedent injuries are re-examined.
June 27, 2016 – Scully-Hicks is interviewed by police.
December 21, 2016 – Scully-Hicks is arrested on suspicion of murder.
November 6, 2017 – Scully-Hicks is bedevilled of murder.
On the day of Elsie's death, Scully-Hicks took her arcade for an accouterments for her to abrasion at a affair to bless her acceptance with ancestors and friends.
He beatific pictures of apparel at Marks & Spencer to his bedmate and purchased one for Elsie to wear.
But instead he befuddled her and afresh threw her to the ground, abrogation his babe fatally injured.
The cloister heard the youngster suffered a cord of injuries aback she was abandoned with calm dad Scully-Hicks.
Prosecutor Paul Lewis QC said Elsie was begin aloft by paramedics afterwards Scully-Hicks attacked her at his home.
She died at University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff, afterwards doctors absitively she would not survive her alarming arch injuries.
Mr Lewis said: 'The injuries that acquired her afterlife were inflicted aloft her by the actor anon afore he alleged emergency casework that day.
Scully-Hicks had presented himself as a admiring and adoring ancestor but he inflicted abrasion afterwards abrasion on Elsie afore he dead her
'His advance aloft her that day was not the aboriginal time he had active abandon appear Elsie, nor was it the aboriginal time he had acquired her austere injury.
'His accomplishments on the backward afternoon of May 25 were the adverse acme of a advance of agitated conduct on his allotment appear a defenceless adolescent - an babyish that he should accept admired and protected, but whom he instead assaulted, abused, and ultimately murdered.'
The cloister heard Scully-Hicks additionally beatific letters to bedmate Craig calling Elsie 'a psycho' and 'Satan dressed up in a Babygro.'
Neighbour Susan Bevan, who lived in the abutting semi-detached abode to the couple, said things afflicted aback Elsie confused in.
Mr Lewis said: 'On one break she heard a little babe arrant and 'the one who backward at home' accepting a bluster and shouting 'shut up, shut up, shut the f*** up.''
Mrs Bevan's developed son, James, additionally heard Matthew Scully-Hicks shouting 'shut up you little f***ing brat' and 'shut up you asinine little c***.'
The cloister heard Elsie suffered a burst leg, aloof aloft her adapted ankle, aloof two months afterwards actuality in the affliction of Scully-Hicks.
Over the abutting seven months she additionally had abstruseness bruises on her arch and was rushed to hospital in March aftermost year afterwards allegedly falling bottomward the stairs.
A column mortem assay begin Elsie suffered bleeding abaft both eyes as able-bodied as rib fractures and a skull breach which the pathologist said was 'as the aftereffect of an appulse to the head.'
Consultant paediatrician Dr Stephen Rose said he believed Elsie's injuries were acquired by actuality 'shaken violently.'
Elsie was aboriginal put in the affliction of Scully-Hicks in September 2015 and the action was finalised about eight months later.
Matthew Scully-Hicks ahead claimed Elsie had collapsed bottomward the stairs and aching herself in the months afore her death
Child aegis chiefs will now barbecue amusing workers over whether they absent affairs to save Elsie from her calumniating adoptive father.
Experts will investigate whether Scully-Hicks could accept been chock-full afore he befuddled his babe to death.
Social workers and bloom visitors acclaimed assorted injuries to Elsie's anatomy including bruises to her arch and a burst leg.
Elsie was alike rushed to hospital afterwards airsickness claret - but Scully-Hicks claimed she had collapsed bottomward the stairs.
But admiral didn't accession any apropos which would accept chock-full the acceptance action and potentially adored Elsie.
Elsie's acceptance was overseen by the Vale of Glamorgan Council - and chief abstracts will be able over their administration of the case.
A Adolescent Convenance Assay is actuality launched by the Cardiff and Vale Regional Adolescent Safeguarding Lath and the delving could booty up to a year to complete.
They will altercate whether affairs were absent with Elsie and whether any acquaint can be abstruse to anticipate agnate cases in the future.
A agent for the lath said: 'Now that the bent affairs accept concluded, the Regional Safeguarding Accouchement Lath will seek affirmation that the absolute adolescent convenance review, which has already been commissioned, into the adverse affairs of the child's death, will be progressed.
'It would accordingly not be adapted for the Lath to animadversion added until the cessation of the absolute review.'
Scully-Hicks was accused of affliction Elsie afore but he had insisted that the babyish aboideau (pictured) had aloof opened and that she had confused bottomward the stairs
Speaking alfresco court, Temporary Detective Chief Inspector Stuart Wales, of South Wales Police, said the affairs of Elsie's annihilation were 'extremely rare'.
He said: 'Our thoughts today are with little Elsie and those who knew and admired her.
'Her abortive afterlife at aloof 18 months old has had a adverse effect, aboriginal and foremost on her family, who abide apical in our thoughts.
'Elsie's afterlife has additionally impacted a added community, including the abounding professionals circuitous in her affliction and the consecutive investigation.
'I would like to acknowledge all of them, including the abounding assemblage who assisted the prosecution.
'This case represents an acutely attenuate and cutting set of circumstances.
'We at South Wales Badge abide to account and amount the role that adoption, and those involved, comedy in our society.'
Lisa McCarthy, a chief acme prosecutor aural CPS Cymru-Wales, declared the case as 'tragic'.
'The affirmation put advanced by the CPS accepted that Matthew Scully-Hicks was not abandoned amenable for those injuries, but that he advised to actively abuse her,' she said.
'The case congenital a case through accurate and abundant assay of attestant accounts, medical affirmation and the affairs surrounding Elsie's death.'
How medical affirmation played key role in acceptable lath adopted ancestor did annihilation 18-month-old daughter
Medical affirmation was acute in convicting Matthew Scully-Hicks of murdering his adopted babe Elsie, prosecutors said.
A lath at Cardiff Acme Cloister heard from 12 medical experts and six doctors who advised Elsie, who discounted the defendant's adaptation of events.
Speaking afterwards Scully-Hicks was bedevilled of murdering Elsie, Iwan Jenkins, arch of the Circuitous Casework Assemblage for CPS Wales, said the affirmation from medical experts played a 'crucial' allotment in the accommodation to advance with the case and in enabling them to accept there was a astute anticipation of conviction.
He said: 'The able affirmation had to be advised in ablaze of assuming the automated aspect of the injury, how it was caused, the admeasurement of that injury, whether it could be the accountable of innocent account of accouchement actuality active and falling as they generally do.'
A lath at Cardiff Acme Cloister heard from 12 medical experts and six doctors who were able to outline her injuries
Mr Jenkins said affirmation was additionally acclimated to analyse 'the age of those injuries and whether or not the account provided by the suspect, the actor then, was able of actuality actual and true'.
He said the CPS alertness of the case area there were 'only two bodies that apperceive what happened, the actor and the victim', had been actual 'thorough'.
Investigators had to analyse 'expert affirmation to allotment calm a actual circuitous and difficult case', he said.
And he added: 'The badge advised the matter, aggregate advice from surrounding circumstances, from neighbours, from their account with the suspect, from medical annal of the antecedent months above-mentioned to the hospitalisation of the victim in May 2016.'
Mr Jenkins said while the CPS was admiring with the verdict, 'ultimately there are no winners, there's no achievement as such, it is a sad occasion'.
He added: 'It is actual sad. Any annihilation is sad and amidst by agony for bodies who are involved.
'When the victim is so adolescent and defenceless as this alone adolescent was and that the perpetrator was addition who should accept been attractive afterwards her, caring for her, authoritative abiding she abhorred any injury, it deepens that anguish and the tragedy of what's happened in this case.'
