This trial began today @ Cardiff Crown Court. Report in the Mail here: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...-daughter.html
Really horrific and very sad case. I have a feeling this one may be as big as Baby P and certainly as bad as that case for social services/medics involved. Her adoptive father Matthew Scully-Hicks (one of the two gay men who adopted her as a couple) is on trial for her murder.
Timeline for Elsie:
September 2015. Shortly afterwards Scully-Hicks was sending messages describing her as 'Satan in a babygro' and 'a psycho' . He was heard screaming at the child by neighbours calling her a '****' and a '****ing brat' and telling her to 'shut the **** up'.
November 2015: Leg broken in two places at home while alone with Scully. This did not ring alarm bells at the time but on reexamination after her death was declared probably non-accidental.
December 2015: Elsie gets a bad bruise to her head on the 16th. This is spotted by a Health Visitor on the 21st who advises Scully-Hicks to have it treated and he lies and says he has done.
January 2016: Elsie has another bruise to her head.
March 2016: Elsie is taken to hospital by ambulance after 'falling down the stairs'. Discharged from hospital.
May 2016: Elsie collapses while in the sole care of Scully-Hicks and later dies in hospital. She is found to have recent and previous bleeds to her brain, probably caused by shaking. She suffered catastrophic brain injuries and retinal haemorrhages. Also she had injuries to her skull, left femur and three ribs inflicted 3-5 days before her death. All non-accidental.
Looking back at the traces of what remains of their social media, her older sibling (a boy aged 3 at the time of her death, who Scully-Hicks intends to blame for her injuries) was also visiting hospital semi-regularly for what also sounds like 'accidents' in late September 2015 and January 2016.
So really with this catalogue of injuries red flags should have been raised but weren't.
Going to be interesting to see how this one pans out. Cardiff Social Services seem to have been trying to gag reporting by playing the 'protecting the sibling' card and there also seems to be a suggestion that members of the birth family may have wanted custody but adoption was forced. Perhaps there is going to be a similar theme to Rotherham Social Services where the desire to be PC trumped the welfare of the child?
Will be following this one closely.
Really horrific and very sad case. I have a feeling this one may be as big as Baby P and certainly as bad as that case for social services/medics involved. Her adoptive father Matthew Scully-Hicks (one of the two gay men who adopted her as a couple) is on trial for her murder.
Timeline for Elsie:
September 2015. Shortly afterwards Scully-Hicks was sending messages describing her as 'Satan in a babygro' and 'a psycho' . He was heard screaming at the child by neighbours calling her a '****' and a '****ing brat' and telling her to 'shut the **** up'.
November 2015: Leg broken in two places at home while alone with Scully. This did not ring alarm bells at the time but on reexamination after her death was declared probably non-accidental.
December 2015: Elsie gets a bad bruise to her head on the 16th. This is spotted by a Health Visitor on the 21st who advises Scully-Hicks to have it treated and he lies and says he has done.
January 2016: Elsie has another bruise to her head.
March 2016: Elsie is taken to hospital by ambulance after 'falling down the stairs'. Discharged from hospital.
May 2016: Elsie collapses while in the sole care of Scully-Hicks and later dies in hospital. She is found to have recent and previous bleeds to her brain, probably caused by shaking. She suffered catastrophic brain injuries and retinal haemorrhages. Also she had injuries to her skull, left femur and three ribs inflicted 3-5 days before her death. All non-accidental.
Looking back at the traces of what remains of their social media, her older sibling (a boy aged 3 at the time of her death, who Scully-Hicks intends to blame for her injuries) was also visiting hospital semi-regularly for what also sounds like 'accidents' in late September 2015 and January 2016.
So really with this catalogue of injuries red flags should have been raised but weren't.
Going to be interesting to see how this one pans out. Cardiff Social Services seem to have been trying to gag reporting by playing the 'protecting the sibling' card and there also seems to be a suggestion that members of the birth family may have wanted custody but adoption was forced. Perhaps there is going to be a similar theme to Rotherham Social Services where the desire to be PC trumped the welfare of the child?
Will be following this one closely.
