A CHILD PLACED IN HIS CARE NEVER GOT THE FUTURE SHE DESERVED — THE ELSIE SCULLY-HICKS CASE

Elsie Scully-Hicks was just 18 months old when her life came to a devastating end — less than two weeks after she was formally adopted into the family that was supposed to protect her.

On November 7, 2017, Cardiff Crown Court sentenced Matthew Scully-Hicks to life imprisonment, with a minimum term of 18 years, after he was convicted of murdering his adopted daughter.

The case exposed a tragic history of injuries suffered by Elsie before the fatal incident and raised wider questions about whether professionals had missed opportunities to protect her.

ELSIE JOINED HER NEW FAMILY

Elsie came to live with Matthew Scully-Hicks, his husband Craig and their other child on September 10, 2015.

Matthew became the stay-at-home parent while Craig continued working full-time.

The adoption was formally approved on May 12, 2016.

Just 13 days later, Elsie suffered the injuries that would ultimately claim her life.

THE FINAL INCIDENT

Shortly before 6:19 p.m. on May 25, 2016, Scully-Hicks inflicted catastrophic injuries on Elsie at the family’s home in Llandaff, Cardiff.

According to the sentencing judge, Mrs Justice Nicola Davies, he gripped Elsie around the chest, with his fingers pressing against her back with enough force to fracture three ribs.

He then shook the toddler with such force that she suffered devastating injuries to her brain and eyes.

The judge also concluded that the fracture to Elsie’s skull was caused by an impact with a hard surface.

Elsie suffered a cardiac arrest and severe brain injury, including a subdural haematoma.

She also had bleeding affecting her eyes and retina, a full-thickness skull fracture and fractures to three posterior ribs.

Emergency services were called after she collapsed.

Elsie was taken to hospital but died four days later, on May 29, 2016.

QUESTIONS ABOUT EARLIER INJURIES

The fatal attack was not the first time Elsie had suffered injuries while living with the family.

The court heard evidence about earlier bruising and a broken leg.

Some of those injuries had resulted in hospital treatment, while explanations involving accidental falls had previously been accepted.

An independent review later found that professionals had missed opportunities to recognise the pattern.

The review found that a fracture to Elsie’s thighbone had not been identified by hospital staff and that a significant bruise on her forehead had not been properly recorded or shared between professionals.

The review involved eight agencies and identified nine recommendations.

It found that professionals had not sufficiently considered Elsie’s injuries together or asked what the overall pattern might indicate.

The report described a lack of professional curiosity about the child’s experiences and injuries.

TEXT MESSAGES REVEALED HIS FRUSTRATION

During the murder trial, prosecutors presented messages written by Scully-Hicks.

The messages showed his frustration with Elsie’s crying and behaviour.

He used deeply derogatory descriptions of the toddler, including referring to her as “Satan dressed in a Babygro” and a “psycho.”

The judge later said the messages demonstrated his frustration and indicated that he was struggling with the demands of caring for two children.

The court heard that people who regularly saw the family generally regarded Scully-Hicks as a loving and caring father.

However, the judge noted that the difficult periods appeared to occur when he was alone with Elsie or with Elsie and her sibling.

THE JURY REJECTED HIS DENIAL

Scully-Hicks denied murdering Elsie.

The prosecution argued that he lost his temper with the toddler and inflicted the catastrophic injuries that caused her collapse.

The jury heard evidence from 12 medical experts and six doctors who had treated Elsie.

After deliberating, jurors unanimously found Scully-Hicks guilty of murder.

He showed emotion as the verdict was delivered.

A LIFE SENTENCE

On November 7, 2017, Mrs Justice Nicola Davies sentenced Scully-Hicks to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 18 years.

In her sentencing remarks, the judge described Elsie as a “young, vulnerable and defenceless child” who had been entrusted to the care of her adoptive parents.

She said Scully-Hicks had committed a serious breach of the trust placed in him as Elsie’s adoptive father.

The judge also said Elsie’s death had devastated three families: her birth family, the family Scully-Hicks had built with Craig, and his own birth family.

HER BIRTH FAMILY’S HEARTBREAK

Elsie’s biological family had remained attached to her after she was removed from her birth mother’s care.

She had originally been named Shayla O’Brien by her birth family.

Her maternal grandmother, Sian O’Brien, told the court that the family had continued to have contact with her while she was living with foster carers.

The family had hoped to become more directly involved in raising her.

But Elsie was eventually placed for adoption.

In a victim impact statement, her birth family said they were “numb with pain” and believed she would still be alive had she remained in their care.

THE QUESTIONS LEFT BEHIND

Elsie’s death also prompted an independent child-practice review into the actions of social workers, healthcare professionals and other agencies involved in her care.

The review did not find that the adoption assessment itself was inadequate. Instead, it found that professionals had failed to bring together the different pieces of information about Elsie’s injuries.

The report concluded that a positive view of the adoptive placement had affected the way professionals interpreted what they were seeing.

The Vale of Glamorgan Council later accepted the findings and apologised for the errors identified in the case.

A LIFE THAT ENDED FAR TOO SOON

Elsie’s story is ultimately about an 18-month-old child whose life had barely begun.

She had entered a new family, been formally adopted and was supposed to have a childhood ahead of her.

Instead, just 13 days after the adoption was finalised, she suffered catastrophic injuries.

Four days later, she was dead.

Matthew Scully-Hicks remains the person convicted of her murder, while the subsequent safeguarding review documented failures in how earlier injuries were recognised and shared between professionals.

For Elsie’s birth family, the legal proceedings could never undo the loss.

They were left grieving a little girl they had loved from the moment she was born — and mourning the future she would never have the chance to live.