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| Elsie Scully-Hicks: first picture emerges of toddler allegedly murdered by father | Elsie Scully-Hicks: first picture emerges of toddler allegedly murdered by father |
| (4 months later) | |
| Matthew Scully-Hicks is accused of shaking 18-month-old to death two weeks after he and husband formally adopted her | |
| Steven Morris | |
| Fri 13 Oct 2017 11.41 BST | |
| First published on Fri 13 Oct 2017 11.16 BST | |
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| This is the first picture of Elsie Scully-Hicks, the 18-month-old girl allegedly murdered by her father two weeks after he and his husband formally adopted her. | This is the first picture of Elsie Scully-Hicks, the 18-month-old girl allegedly murdered by her father two weeks after he and his husband formally adopted her. |
| Matthew Scully-Hicks allegedly physically abused Elsie for months before shaking her to death at the family home in the Cardiff suburb of Llandaff. | Matthew Scully-Hicks allegedly physically abused Elsie for months before shaking her to death at the family home in the Cardiff suburb of Llandaff. |
| A jury has been told that Scully-Hicks, 31, was struggling to cope with the girl, telling his husband, Craig Scully-Hicks, that Elsie was “a psycho” and “Satan dressed up in a babygrow”, while neighbours allegedly heard him swearing at and insulting the child. | A jury has been told that Scully-Hicks, 31, was struggling to cope with the girl, telling his husband, Craig Scully-Hicks, that Elsie was “a psycho” and “Satan dressed up in a babygrow”, while neighbours allegedly heard him swearing at and insulting the child. |
| Cardiff crown court has heard that Elsie was removed from her natural mother, a drug user, within days of her birth in November 2014. She was placed in the care of Vale of Glamorgan council and went to live with the Scully-Hickses when she was 10 months old. | Cardiff crown court has heard that Elsie was removed from her natural mother, a drug user, within days of her birth in November 2014. She was placed in the care of Vale of Glamorgan council and went to live with the Scully-Hickses when she was 10 months old. |
| Craig has told the court he had wanted a “daddy’s little princess”. She was tiny when she arrived, he said, but “loud and bouncy”. Matthew stayed at home to look after the girl while Craig, a 36-year-old account manager, carried on with his job, often working away. | Craig has told the court he had wanted a “daddy’s little princess”. She was tiny when she arrived, he said, but “loud and bouncy”. Matthew stayed at home to look after the girl while Craig, a 36-year-old account manager, carried on with his job, often working away. |
| Craig insisted their home was happy and always full of friends and family. “If I had suspected anything I wouldn’t have tolerated it.” | Craig insisted their home was happy and always full of friends and family. “If I had suspected anything I wouldn’t have tolerated it.” |
| Asked by Matthew’s barrister, Robert O’Sullivan QC, if he had ever heard his husband shouting at Elsie or her adoptive sibling, Craig replied: “No.” He said his husband was nicknamed “safety boy” by some family members because he was so sensible. | Asked by Matthew’s barrister, Robert O’Sullivan QC, if he had ever heard his husband shouting at Elsie or her adoptive sibling, Craig replied: “No.” He said his husband was nicknamed “safety boy” by some family members because he was so sensible. |
| Elsie was formally adopted on 12 May 2016. On 25 May at 6.18pm, Wales ambulance service received a 999 call from Matthew. | Elsie was formally adopted on 12 May 2016. On 25 May at 6.18pm, Wales ambulance service received a 999 call from Matthew. |
| “I was just changing my daughter for bed and she went all floppy and limp,” he told the operator. During the 999 call, Scully-Hicks could be heard saying: “Oh my god” and “this is horrible”. | “I was just changing my daughter for bed and she went all floppy and limp,” he told the operator. During the 999 call, Scully-Hicks could be heard saying: “Oh my god” and “this is horrible”. |
| Paramedics and police found Elsie not breathing and in cardiac arrest. Matthew allegedly explained to a paramedic that the child had “screamed out as if in pain, then collapsed”. | Paramedics and police found Elsie not breathing and in cardiac arrest. Matthew allegedly explained to a paramedic that the child had “screamed out as if in pain, then collapsed”. |
| At the hospital, Matthew told police, doctors and his husband that he had changed Elsie on the floor in front of the television. | At the hospital, Matthew told police, doctors and his husband that he had changed Elsie on the floor in front of the television. |
| He said he had taken the dirty nappy out to the kitchen, leaving Elsie on the floor, and returned to find her apparently sleeping. He said she had not responded and he had begun CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation). | He said he had taken the dirty nappy out to the kitchen, leaving Elsie on the floor, and returned to find her apparently sleeping. He said she had not responded and he had begun CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation). |
| The prosecution alleges Matthew murdered Elsie after months of abusing her physically. | The prosecution alleges Matthew murdered Elsie after months of abusing her physically. |
| A postmortem examination found Elsie had recent and older bleeding on both sides of her brain. She had haemorrhages in both eyes and fractures to her skull and her ribs. | A postmortem examination found Elsie had recent and older bleeding on both sides of her brain. She had haemorrhages in both eyes and fractures to her skull and her ribs. |
| On Thursday a paramedic, Jonathan Aberg, told the jury he had attended the couple’s home with police at 6.25pm on 25 May. | On Thursday a paramedic, Jonathan Aberg, told the jury he had attended the couple’s home with police at 6.25pm on 25 May. |
| Aberg said: “He [Matthew] directed us round to the right, to where the child was. I believe she was on her back. She appeared lifeless. A little blue. We started CPR. She wasn’t breathing. She had no pulse.” | Aberg said: “He [Matthew] directed us round to the right, to where the child was. I believe she was on her back. She appeared lifeless. A little blue. We started CPR. She wasn’t breathing. She had no pulse.” |
| Elsie was taken to the paediatric intensive care unit at the University Hospital of Wales, he confirmed. She arrived at the hospital at 6.53pm and her care was taken over by hospital staff. Elsie died at the hospital in the early hours of 29 May. | Elsie was taken to the paediatric intensive care unit at the University Hospital of Wales, he confirmed. She arrived at the hospital at 6.53pm and her care was taken over by hospital staff. Elsie died at the hospital in the early hours of 29 May. |
| Dr David Tuthill, a consultant paediatrician, who attended to Elsie when she arrived in hospital, said Matthew seemed calm. | Dr David Tuthill, a consultant paediatrician, who attended to Elsie when she arrived in hospital, said Matthew seemed calm. |
| He said Craig was “very tearful and upset” but his “recollection of [Matthew] was of him being very calm. | He said Craig was “very tearful and upset” but his “recollection of [Matthew] was of him being very calm. |
| “It was something, as I came back down to intensive care, that I said to my nurse practitioner. I said: ‘That’s strange, he was very calm’. | “It was something, as I came back down to intensive care, that I said to my nurse practitioner. I said: ‘That’s strange, he was very calm’. |
| “Most resuscitations, people are in tears. Parents are normally in floods of tears. It struck me as very unusual. People react in different ways. The common way when your child is being resuscitated and dying in front of you is to cry.” | “Most resuscitations, people are in tears. Parents are normally in floods of tears. It struck me as very unusual. People react in different ways. The common way when your child is being resuscitated and dying in front of you is to cry.” |
| Dr Nia John, a community paediatrician who spoke to Elsie’s adoptive parents at the hospital after her admission, said Matthew had looked upset. “I didn’t come away from there thinking it was abnormal,” she said. | Dr Nia John, a community paediatrician who spoke to Elsie’s adoptive parents at the hospital after her admission, said Matthew had looked upset. “I didn’t come away from there thinking it was abnormal,” she said. |
| Matthew Scully-Hicks, from Delabole, Cornwall, denies murder. The trial continues. | Matthew Scully-Hicks, from Delabole, Cornwall, denies murder. The trial continues. |
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