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| Ben Butler jailed for murdering daughter Ellie after custody battle | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| A father who murdered his six-year-old daughter just 11 months after she was returned to his care following a custody battle has been jailed. | |
| Ben Butler inflicted catastrophic head injuries to Ellie while looking after her at their home in Sutton, south-west London, in October 2013. | |
| The 36-year-old was also found guilty of child cruelty over a shoulder injury as was Ellie's mother Jennie Gray. | |
| He was jailed for a minimum of 23 years. Gray is still being sentenced. | |
| Gray, a graphic designer, had admitted perverting the course of justice. | |
| The exonerated father who went on to kill | The exonerated father who went on to kill |
| More on this story on BBC London Live | |
| Following the guilty verdict earlier, Butler shouted out: "I'll fight for the rest of my life - unbelievable," before adding: "I want to be sentenced now so I can fight in the Appeal Court." | |
| He added: "I will fight forever to prove this wrong. My daughter was jumping in the house. I'm 100% not guilty." | He added: "I will fight forever to prove this wrong. My daughter was jumping in the house. I'm 100% not guilty." |
| Gray said: "Big mistake. Spend another 10 years proving you wrong." | Gray said: "Big mistake. Spend another 10 years proving you wrong." |
| Butler was previously convicted for shaking Ellie as a baby, although this was later quashed on appeal. | Butler was previously convicted for shaking Ellie as a baby, although this was later quashed on appeal. |
| The couple then won a High Court judgement to have Ellie returned to their care in 2012. | The couple then won a High Court judgement to have Ellie returned to their care in 2012. |
| Mrs Justice Hogg had sided with Butler despite objections from police, social services and Ellie's maternal grandfather, Neal Gray. | Mrs Justice Hogg had sided with Butler despite objections from police, social services and Ellie's maternal grandfather, Neal Gray. |
| At the time, Mr Gray - who had cared for Ellie since she was a baby - had allegedly warned the judge she would have "blood on your hands". | At the time, Mr Gray - who had cared for Ellie since she was a baby - had allegedly warned the judge she would have "blood on your hands". |
| Ellie's grandmother Linda Gray died on the first day of the murder trial - a fact kept from Jennie Gray until sentencing as her father did not want to tell her. | |
| In a joint statement written ahead of the trial, Ellie's grandparents said they had struggled to come to terms with the "shock and horror" of her death. | |
| "Ellie was a very beautiful, bubbly and intelligent little girl who always had a smile on her face and even at such a young age she was nobody's fool. She was our life and she gave so much pleasure to us and our family too, how we all miss her." | |
| The couple did not directly refer to their daughter Jennie Gray or Butler but said: "We did not realise that some people could be so wicked in life." | |
| Jurors were told that Butler battered his daughter to death in a volcanic loss of temper. | Jurors were told that Butler battered his daughter to death in a volcanic loss of temper. |
| He did not call 999 for two hours and instead called Jennie Gray back from work in the City of London. | He did not call 999 for two hours and instead called Jennie Gray back from work in the City of London. |
| They then concocted an elaborate plot to destroy evidence and stage the scene of an accidental fall before alerting the ambulance service. | They then concocted an elaborate plot to destroy evidence and stage the scene of an accidental fall before alerting the ambulance service. |
| 'Won't wake up' | 'Won't wake up' |
| The couple even involved Ellie's younger sibling by sending the child into a room on the pretext of fetching Ellie for cake, jurors were told. | The couple even involved Ellie's younger sibling by sending the child into a room on the pretext of fetching Ellie for cake, jurors were told. |
| The child can be heard on the 999 call saying Ellie "won't wake up". | The child can be heard on the 999 call saying Ellie "won't wake up". |
| The court heard harrowing evidence of a toxic family life dominated by a man described by prosecutors as "angry, overbearing and manipulative". | |
| Butler had a "volatile temper" which could "explode at any time". | |
| In the months leading up to Ellie's death, he sent hundreds of abusive and threatening texts to Gray containing the most obscene and vile language, often directed at Ellie and a younger sibling. | |
| Jurors heard how he frequently beat Gray up and threw her out onto the streets. | |
| A video clip played in court also showed him swearing aggressively on a phone call in the family kitchen in front of Ellie. | |
| Malcolm McHaffie, CPS London Deputy Chief Crown Prosecutor, said: "Ellie Butler was murdered in her home, where she should have felt safe, by her violent father who should have loved and protected her." | Malcolm McHaffie, CPS London Deputy Chief Crown Prosecutor, said: "Ellie Butler was murdered in her home, where she should have felt safe, by her violent father who should have loved and protected her." |
| He added: "We may never know exactly what happened in the last few hours of Ellie's life, but the CPS built a strong case to show that her death was the result of deliberate violence by Butler." | He added: "We may never know exactly what happened in the last few hours of Ellie's life, but the CPS built a strong case to show that her death was the result of deliberate violence by Butler." |