ELSIE SCULLY-HICKS: THE 18-MONTH-OLD GIRL WHOSE LIFE ENDED DAYS AFTER HER ADOPTION

An 18-month-old girl was placed in a new family hoping for a safe and loving future. Less than two weeks after her formal adoption, Elsie Scully-Hicks suffered catastrophic injuries. Four days later, she was dead.

Matthew Scully-Hicks was later convicted of her murder and sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 18 years.

The case shocked Wales because of the age of the victim and the circumstances surrounding her death.

ELSIE’S SHORT LIFE

Elsie was born in November 2014 and was removed from the care of her birth mother shortly after her birth.

She entered the care system before eventually going to live with Matthew Scully-Hicks, his husband Craig and their other adopted child in September 2015, when she was around 10 months old.

Craig later told Cardiff Crown Court that Elsie was a lively and happy child when she joined the family.

The couple formally adopted her in May 2016.

But within days, Elsie suffered the injuries that would ultimately end her life.

THE EMERGENCY CALL

On May 25, 2016, Matthew Scully-Hicks was caring for Elsie at the couple’s home in Llandaff, Cardiff.

At around 6:20 p.m., he called emergency services and reported that the toddler was unresponsive.

During the 999 call, he told the operator that he had been changing Elsie and found her limp on the floor.

Paramedics arrived and found the 18-month-old not breathing and without a pulse.

They administered emergency treatment before taking her to the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff.

Elsie had suffered devastating injuries.

Medical evidence presented during the trial included a skull fracture, bleeding around the brain, retinal bleeding and fractures to three ribs.

She remained in hospital for four days.

On May 29, doctors determined that her injuries were unsurvivable, and Elsie died.

She was just 18 months old.

QUESTIONS ABOUT EARLIER INJURIES

The prosecution’s case did not focus only on the final incident.

The court heard that Elsie had previously suffered an injury after falling down stairs in March 2016.

At the time, doctors considered her injuries consistent with a fall, and she was discharged from hospital.

However, the later investigation examined Elsie’s medical history as part of the wider circumstances surrounding her death.

The prosecution ultimately argued that the fatal injuries could not be explained by an ordinary accident.

Medical experts concluded that the injuries were consistent with violent shaking and an impact to the head.

TEXT MESSAGES BECAME PART OF THE CASE

During the trial, prosecutors also presented messages written by Matthew Scully-Hicks about Elsie.

Some messages referred to the toddler using disturbing descriptions, including “Satan” and “diva.”

Scully-Hicks denied that the messages demonstrated hatred toward Elsie. He described some of the language as joking or “text talk.”

The messages became part of the prosecution’s wider argument about his attitude toward the child.

Neighbours also gave evidence about hearing Scully-Hicks shouting at Elsie when she cried.

However, Craig Scully-Hicks told the court that he had never witnessed his husband physically harming Elsie and described their home as loving and happy.

MATTHEW SCULLY-HICKS DENIED KILLING HER

Throughout the trial, Scully-Hicks denied murdering Elsie.

When he gave evidence at Cardiff Crown Court, he described finding the toddler unresponsive and said he had immediately called for an ambulance.

He told the jury that he could not explain the injuries and insisted that he had not caused them.

He also described Elsie as a happy child who always had a smile on her face.

The jury ultimately rejected his account.

After a four-week trial, Scully-Hicks was unanimously convicted of murder in November 2017.

LIFE SENTENCE

On November 7, 2017, Scully-Hicks was sentenced at Cardiff Crown Court.

He received a life sentence with a minimum term of 18 years.

The sentence meant that he would have to serve at least that minimum period before becoming eligible to be considered for release, subject to the applicable parole process.

The judge described Elsie as a vulnerable and defenceless child and criticized Scully-Hicks’ conduct toward her.

The court heard that the fatal injuries resulted from the way he gripped Elsie around her torso and from the head injury she suffered.

The judge’s sentencin