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Ben Butler's abusive texts to partner 'were just childish rowing' Ben Butler's abusive texts to partner 'were just childish rowing'
(about 3 hours later)
A ideo of six-year-old Elllie Butler beaming and happy in the months before she was allegedly killed by her father has been made public for the first time.A ideo of six-year-old Elllie Butler beaming and happy in the months before she was allegedly killed by her father has been made public for the first time.
It was played before the Old Bailey as Ellie’s mother Jennie Gray, 36, told jurors the man accused of killing Ellie in a violent rage was all bark and no bite. It was played before the Old Bailey as Ellie’s mother Jennie Gray, 36, described the man accused of killing Ellie in a violent rage as having a bark worse than his bite.
Graphic designer Gray insisted she and Ben Butler were not living in a “house of horrors” at the time of their daughter’s death in October 2013 and dismissed a stream of abusive text messages from Butler as empty threats, and insisted he had never been violent towards her or Ellie. Graphic designer Gray insisted she and Ben Butler were not living in a “house of horrors” at the time of their daughter’s death in October 2013 and dismissed a stream of abusive text messages from Butler as empty threats, insisting he had never been violent towards her or Ellie.
Gray said Butler was a completely devoted father and that messages in which he called her a “cunt” or a “bitch” meant nothing. She said he was never violent towards her or Ellie and the few times he had shoved her it was because she was “in his face”, and that texts in which she begged him not to kick her out or not to beat her up were just her being “bitchy” or “dramatic”. Gray said Butler was a completely devoted father and that messages in which he called her a “cunt” or a “bitch” meant nothing. She said he was never violent towards her or Ellie and the few times he had shoved her it was because she was “in his face”. Texts in which she begged him not to kick her out or not to beat her up were just her being “bitchy” or “dramatic”.
“When I’m in an argument with someone I can be very bitchy and very sarcastic,” she told jurors at the Old Bailey during her trial for child cruelty in relation to a broken shoulder pathologists found Ellie had suffered. “When I’m in an argument with someone, I can be very bitchy and very sarcastic,” she said at her trial for child cruelty in relation to a broken shoulder pathologists found Ellie had suffered.
Butler, 36, is on trial for murder and child cruelty in relation to Ellie’s death from “catastrophic” head injuries in October 2013. Butler spent time in jail in 2009 for a conviction, later overturned in the court of appeal, for assaulting Ellie as a baby. The jury has heard that Butler called his partner “a dog whore” and a “fat dog” in 2013, the year of Ellie’s death, and threatened “I’ll maim u bitch”. Butler, 36, is on trial for murder and child cruelty in relation to Ellie’s death from “catastrophic” head injuries in October 2013. Butler spent time in jail in 2009 for a conviction, later overturned in the court of appeal, for assaulting Ellie as a baby. The jury has heard that Butler called his partner “a dog whore” and a “fat dog” in 2013, the year of Ellie’s death, and threatened in a text: “I’ll maim u bitch”.
“His bark is definitely worse than his bite,” she said, giving evidence for the first time. “If you look at that one [where he says] maim you – I say look at my face I have been maimed,” she said, looking towards the jury at the Old Bailey. “He used to threaten me but they were empty threats … that’s how it was.” “His bark is definitely worse than his bite,” Gray said, giving evidence for the first time. “If you look at that one [where he says] maim you, I say: look at my face; I have been maimed?” she said, looking towards the jury. “He used to threaten me but they were empty threats … that’s how it was.”
She said she never felt scared of Butler and swore that he was never violent to Ellie. “We were both very, very bad to each other, but I didn’t feel threatened,” she said.She said she never felt scared of Butler and swore that he was never violent to Ellie. “We were both very, very bad to each other, but I didn’t feel threatened,” she said.
The jury were shown a 15-minute compilation of home videos showing Ellie playing with her parents in a park, at a school sports day and being shown how to play an arcade game with her father. In one clip Ellie can be seen smiling and laughing in a gold Disney dress and in another sitting next to her father with the family’s new pet dog. The jury were shown a 15-minute compilation of home videos showing Ellie playing with her parents in a park, at a school sports day and being shown how to play an arcade game by her father. In one clip, Ellie can be seen smiling and laughing in a gold Disney dress; in another, she is sitting next to her father with the family’s new pet dog.
She said she felt hormonal after a botched abortion in January 2013 and texts in which she referred to him threatening to beat her were just “me being exaggerative”. She said she was ashamed of the texts, telling the jury that the trial was about the death of Ellie, not their rows, which she described as childish. Gray said she felt hormonal after a botched abortion in January 2013 and texts in which she referred to him threatening to beat her were just “me being exaggerative”. She said she was ashamed of the texts, telling the jury that the trial was about the death of Ellie, not their rows, which she described as childish.
Asked about one exchange in which she said Butler had kicked her in the genitals after he allegedly wanted her to mimic a pornography scene, she responded: “All I can say is I have never been kicked by Ben Butler, let alone in the female regions.” Asked about one exchange in which she said Butler had kicked her in the genitals after he allegedly wanted her to mimic a pornography scene, she responded: “All I can say is: I have never been kicked by Ben Butler, let alone in the female regions.”
When Butler was arrested in relation to Ellie’s death, police seized a computer used by Gray and found searches including: “I’m with a bully man who beats me and tells me I’m ugly and fat and hurts me all the time.”She said: “I’ve never been beaten by Ben. Yes, we’ve had altercations when I’ve been in his face. The only thing I’ve had by Ben Butler is berated but not beaten.”When Butler was arrested in relation to Ellie’s death, police seized a computer used by Gray and found searches including: “I’m with a bully man who beats me and tells me I’m ugly and fat and hurts me all the time.”She said: “I’ve never been beaten by Ben. Yes, we’ve had altercations when I’ve been in his face. The only thing I’ve had by Ben Butler is berated but not beaten.”
Earlier Gray told jurors she tried to drink herself to death when their girl was put in foster care at two months old, a court has heard.Gray said she was heartbroken and depressed but denies child cruelty in relation to the girl’s death six years later. Earlier, Gray said she tried to drink herself to death when their child was put in foster care at two months old. She said she was heartbroken and depressed but denies child cruelty in relation to the girl’s death six years later.
Gray was at work in the City of London on 28 October 2013 when Butler allegedly attacked Ellie, causing catastrophic head injuries. Butler urgently called her home to Sutton, south-west London, but waited two hours before ringing 999, the Old Bailey heard. In that time, the couple allegedly destroyed evidence in an attempt to cover up the circumstances of Ellie’s death, the court was told. Gray was at work in the City of London on 28 October 2013 when Butler allegedly attacked Ellie, causing catastrophic head injuries. Butler urgently called her home to Sutton, south-west London, but waited two hours before ringing 999, the Old Bailey heard. In that time, the couple allegedly destroyed evidence in an attempt to cover up the circumstances of Ellie’s death.
Giving evidence, Gray told jurors that she met Butler at her brother’s birthday party in March 2006. The relationship was casual and they were both shocked when she became pregnant. But she said he supported her decision to keep the baby. Gray said she met Butler at her brother’s birthday party in March 2006. The relationship was casual and they were both shocked when she became pregnant, but she said he supported her decision to keep the baby.
After a “traumatic” birth at St Helier hospital in Sutton, Gray took Ellie back to her flat and Butler would visit daily. Gray told jurors: “He was completely devoted, completely in love with the fact that he was a dad.” After a “traumatic” birth at St Helier hospital in Sutton, Gray took Ellie back to her flat and Butler visited daily. Gray told jurors: “He was completely devoted, completely in love with the fact that he was a dad.”
Ellie was put in foster care amid suspicions that she was a victim of shaken baby syndrome when Butler rushed her to hospital after she had collapsed at six weeks old. Gray broke down in tears as she described the day Ellie was taken away from her in 2007. Ellie was put in foster care amid suspicions that she was a victim of shaken baby syndrome when Butler rushed her to hospital after she collapsed at six weeks old. Gray broke down in tears as she described the day Ellie was taken away from her in 2007.
“I was walking out that door with the foster carer holding Ellie and her little head turning and watching people go out the door, and I fell on that woman’s front drive because they took my baby and it took me a while to get up off that floor, and the social worker sat in the car and she didn’t even care, she wasn’t even human,” Gray told the court. “I was walking out that door with the foster carer holding Ellie and her little head turning and watching people go out the door, and I fell on that woman’s front drive because they took my baby and it took me a while to get up off that floor and the social worker sat in the car and she didn’t even care; she wasn’t even human,” Gray told the court.
Gray told the court how after Ellie was put into foster care she and Butler had to fight Sutton local authority for years in the family courts to get Ellie back. “We just had battle after battle. I went to pieces. I turned to drink after a while. I tried to drink myself to death a few times, my heart was so broken. I remember then Ben picking me up off the floor I was so drunk. I didn’t want to wake up. And he said ‘please, please survive’. And he kept going, he made me survive,” she told jurors. Gray said she and Butler had to fight Sutton council for years in the family courts to get Ellie back. “We just had battle after battle. I went to pieces. I turned to drink after a while. I tried to drink myself to death a few times, my heart was so broken. I remember then Ben picking me up off the floor I was so drunk. I didn’t want to wake up. And he said ‘please, please survive’. And he kept going, he made me survive,” she told jurors.
She blamed Ellie’s collapse as a six-week-old on congenital abnormalities, disorders that were not diagnosed until later court cases as part of their battle to be reunited with their daughter.She blamed Ellie’s collapse as a six-week-old on congenital abnormalities, disorders that were not diagnosed until later court cases as part of their battle to be reunited with their daughter.
Raising her voice to mimic one of the doctors at St Helier, she said they were told the baby had been “violently shaken”. She and Butler could not believe what they were hearing.Raising her voice to mimic one of the doctors at St Helier, she said they were told the baby had been “violently shaken”. She and Butler could not believe what they were hearing.
They were told the baby might not survive the night and if she did she would be in a persistent vegetative state, blind and deaf. But there was a completely different assessment from a second team of doctors who assessed Ellie. They were from a “proper hospital”, said Gray, referring to Evelina’s children’s unit in central London. They were told the baby might not survive the night and, if she did, she would be in a persistent vegetative state, blind and deaf. But there was a completely different assessment from a second team of doctors who assessed Ellie. They were from a “proper hospital”, said Gray, referring to Evelina’s children’s unit in central London.
The doctor said he did not think the baby was brain-dead and could have collapsed because of an infection such as meningitis or “near-miss cot death”. The doctor said he did not think the baby was brain dead and could have collapsed because of an infection such as meningitis or “near-miss cot death”.
She said the loss of her daughter had left her heartbroken and said Ellie might not have died if her abnormalities had been diagnosed earlier or if she had not been maltreated as a baby at St Helier. She claimed the hospital had overdosed the baby with an adult dose of radiation during tests and that it had caused injury to her baby during her birth. Gray said Ellie might not have died if her abnormalities had been diagnosed earlier or if she had not been maltreated as a baby at St Helier. She claimed the hospital overdosed the baby with an adult dose of radiation during tests and that it caused injury to her baby during her birth.
Butler and Gray both deny the charges.Butler and Gray both deny the charges.
The trial continues.The trial continues.