A man murdered his 18-month-old baby just two weeks after adopting her.
Matthew Scully-Hicks inflicted catastrophic injuries on his daughter Elsie at his home in Cardiff four days before she died.
The 31-year-old had denied the charges brought against him, claiming instead that he called 999 in May 2016 after he found the toddler unresponsive on the floor.
WARNING: Distressing video
Matthew Scully-Hicks, who murdered his daughter Elsie, made this 999 call, claiming she'd fallen down the stairs pic.twitter.com/ubrz1reyP3
— BBC Wales News (@BBCWalesNews) November 6, 2017
A jury on Monday announced that it had reached its decision unanimously and the Welsh man will be sentenced on Tuesday.
“In the months before her death, Scully-Hicks had told his husband and a health visitor a bruise on Elsie’s face and leg fracture were caused by falls around the house,” the BBC reports.
Matthew Scully-HicksA pathologist had told a court in Cardiff that Elsie’s injuries were “very typical” of a shaken baby. Dr Stephen Leadbetter added that she died after suffering a “blunt head injury”, which triggered a cardiac arrest and starved her organs of blood.
A post-mortem revealed she had also suffered broken ribs, a fractured leg, and a fractured skull.
Cardiff Crown Court furthermore was told that Scully-Hick had in messages to his husband, Craig, called their baby “a psycho,” “the exorcist,” and “Satan dressed up in a babygro”.
T/Det Ch Insp Stuart Wales says @swpolice continue to “respect and value the role” of adoption following murder of Elsie Scully-Hicks pic.twitter.com/wIyVh5koSm
— Claire Hayhurst (@clairehayhurst) November 6, 2017
Neighbours also gave evident stating that they had heard the killer shouting and cursing at Elsie in the weeks leading up to her death.
The little girl was first placed in the car of Scully-Hicks and his husband in September 2015; there will now be an investigation into how social services assigned Elsie her family.
