How Could You? Hall of Shame-UK-Elsie Hicks case-Child Death UPDATED

This will be an archive of heinous actions by those involved in child welfare, foster care and adoption. We forewarn you that these are deeply disturbing stories that may involve sex abuse, murder, kidnapping and other horrendous actions.

From Cardiff, UK, adoptive parent Matthew Scully-Hicks, 31, “assaulted and abused baby Elsie (18 months) over several months before killing her, it was alleged. ”

“A GAY fitness instructor shook his 18-month-old daughter to death just two weeks after formally adopting her with his partner, a court heard yesterday.”

“He screamed obscenities at the little girl when she cried and even branded her “Satan in a babygrow”, the jury was told.

Scully-Hicks, 31, allegedly attacked Elsie at their home in Cardiff while partner Craig Scully-Hicks was out at work.

“His actions were the tragic culmination of a course of violent conduct on his part towards a defenceless child,” said Paul Lewis, prosecuting.

“An infant that he should have loved and protected, but whom he instead assaulted, abused and ultimately murdered.”

A post mortem revealed she suffered a fractured skull, a broken left thigh bone and several fractured ribs.

Elsie, a “tiny and delicate child,” had been with Scully-Hicks for less than two months when her right leg was broken, Cardiff Crown Court was told.

He allegedly claimed she slipped and twisted her leg.

A few weeks later, she suffered a bruise to the left side of her forehead.

Scully-Hicks told his partner the little girl had “whacked herself” when she tried to pull herself to her feet.

A health visitor urged him to get medical attention for Elsie but there was no record of her seeing a doctor, the court heard.

Three months later, she allegedly fell down the stairs at the couple’s home in Fairwater, Cardiff.

Shortly afterwards, she developed a squint, the court heard.

Scully-Hicks allegedly killed Elsie by shaking her so hard, she suffered “catastrophic head injuries.” In May last year, he rang 999 and said the toddler had suddenly gone “floppy and limp” while he changed her for bed.

He later told paramedics his adopted daughter had “screamed out as in pain”, then collapsed.

Elsie was rushed to University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff.

At the time, she was not breathing and there were “no signs of cardiac output”, the court heard.

Four days later, doctors concluded there was no chance she could survive the traumatic head injuries and her ventilator was switched off.

Tests showed she had suffered bleeding to both sides of the brain and bleeding of the eyes, the jury was told.

There was also evidence of both recent and older bleeding in her brain.

Following her death an X-ray of her leg break from November 2015 was re-examined, the court heard.

It was found that Elsie suffered two fractures – one near the ankle and one just above the knee.

A specialist concluded it would be “unusual” to suffer two such breaks in the same fall.

Company director Craig Scully-Hicks was working in Leicester at the time she suffered the fatal injuries, the court heard.

Elsie, whose natural mother was a drug addict, was born in November 2014 and came to live with the couple in September 2015.

After they brought Elsie home in 2015, Scully-Hicks gave up full-time work to look after her.

Less than a fortnight later, he wrote to a friend: “I’m going through hell with Elsie.

“Meal times and bed time are like my worst nightmare. She’s been up there screaming for 10 minutes non-stop.

“She’s just stopped but I doubt that’s the last I’ll hear tonight.”

Later that evening, he described Elsie as a “psycho” in a message to his partner.

Neighbours allegedly heard Scully-Hicks repeatedly shouting “shut up” and screaming obscenities at the toddler.

Elsie did not become their adopted daughter until just two weeks before her death. [May 29, 2016]

Scully-Hicks, of Delabole, Cornwall, denies murder.

He claims the medical investigation was unsatisfactory and allegedly told police: “I’m not satisfied the medical reports have explored everything. They explored one option and one option only.”

The trial continues.”

Gay dad fitness instuctor Kills Baby Daughter

[Express 10/10/17 by John Twomey]

REFORM Puzzle Piece

Update:“A fitness instructor has been found guilty of murdering his adopted 18-month-old daughter he described as “Satan dressed up in a babygro”.

Matthew Scully-Hicks and his husband had formally adopted Elsie just two weeks before her death.

The 31-year-old inflicted a catalogue of injuries – including bruises, a broken leg and a fall down a full flight of stairs – on Elsie in the eight months he had care of her.

She died four days after being violently shaken and sustaining a fractured skull.

Elsie was a fit and healthy toddler before she was murdered by her adopted father on May 25, 2016.

She attended a toddler gym class, played on swings at a local park and accompanied her father shopping.

Cardiff Crown Court heard Scully-Hicks, who broke in tears when the verdict was returned, struggled to cope with the toddler and branded her “a psycho”, “the exorcist” and “Satan dressed up in a Babygro” in text messages.

Neighbours heard the former lifeguard shouting “shut the f*** up” at Elsie and calling her a “little f****** brat” and a “silly little c***” when she cried.

Scully-Hicks insisted he never harmed Elsie and claimed she must have spontaneously suffered fatal injuries after he changed her for bed at home in Llandaff, Cardiff.

But following the trial, that lasted more than four weeks and during which 12 medical experts and six doctors gave evidence, jurors unanimously found him guilty of murder.

During his evidence, Scully-Hicks told the jury that on the night she died they had bought an outfit for Elsie to wear at a party to celebrate her adoption.

After finishing her dinner, at about 5.45pm, she walked “hand in hand” with Scully-Hicks into the lounge and was changed for bed.

In a 999 call at 6.18pm, he told the operator: “I was just changing my daughter for bed and she went all floppy and limp.”

Prosecutor Paul Lewis QC said: “We submit this must have been (an attack) that required considerable force in gripping of the child because of the medical evidence of the fractures of the wrist. There must have been forceful shaking.

“There must have been gripping and shaking. Either her head was hit against a hard surface, or a hard object was used to strike Elsie to the head.”

Scully-Hicks claimed at various times that she may have fallen while standing or pushing the table as a walker, twisting her leg in the process.

His case was that Elsie may have been suffering from Vitamin D deficiency, or rickets, which could have made her more likely to suffer fractures.

Defence expert Professor Michael Holick, an American endocrinologist who specialises in vitamin D, said what had been diagnosed as fractures were “classic radiologic signs for vitamin D deficiency”.

But Mr Lewis, for the prosecution, described Prof Holick’s claim as a “red herring” and added: “Matthew Scully-Hicks said a table can be used as a walker.

“Well, I could push my dining table about if I fancied but that doesn’t turn it into a walker.”

Prosecution witnesses including consultant paediatric radiologist Dr Sarah Harrison told jurors there was no evidence of bone disease.

Scully-Hicks’ accounts of how Elsie suffered the injuries did not explain them, experts said.

Dr Harrison said: “I have never seen fractures of both bones like that in a child of this age.

“I have seen them in adults in more major traumas such as car accidents or falls from height.”

Scully-Hicks will be sentenced for Elsie’s murder at 2pm on Tuesday.

Mr O’Sullivan said his client had been examined by two psychiatric experts and doesn’t suffer “from any psychiatric illness or personality disorder”.

Scully-Hicks has no previous convictions and is of previous good character, he added.

“It is consistent with the jury’s verdict, and the evidence heard was this offence was committed in a sudden and unpremeditated outburst of frustration,” Mr O’Sullivan told the court.

“There is no evidence that he had any animosity to Elsie that day.””

 

Dad found guilty of murdering adopted 18-month-old daughter he described as “Satan dressed up in a babygro”

[Mirror 11/6/17 by Claire Hayhurst, Rachael Burford and Josh Taylor]

Update 2:“There were too many ‘opportunities missed’ in the care of a baby murdered by her adoptive father, an official report has revealed today. Elsie Scully-Hicks, 18 months, was put in the care of fitness instructor Matthew Scully-Hicks, 31, but died just two weeks after being adopted. Scully-Hicks and his male partner were viewed as ‘very positive parents’ for little Elsie after she was taken away from her drug addict natural mother.

But the report revealed her injuries including bruises to her head and a broken leg were dismissed as just ‘childhood accidents’ by social workers and she was left to die with her adoptive father.

Elsie Scully-Hicks, 18 months, was put in the care of fitness instructor Matthew Scully-Hicks, 31, but died just two weeks after being adopted

Scully-Hicks described the child as a ‘psycho’, the ‘Exorcist’ and ‘Satan dressed up in a baby grow’ in messages as he struggled to cope with the baby.

The report from the Cardiff and Vale Regional Safeguarding Children Board was made after Scully-Hicks was jailed for life with a minimum of 18 years for battering his ‘vulnerable and defenceless’ adopted baby daughter to death. He abused Elsie over seven months before violently shaking her and banging her head on a hard surface.

A judge told him he was should have ‘protected and cared’ for Elsie but instead murdered her and showed no remorse. The baby died just two weeks after she was formally adopted by fitness instructor Scully-Hicks and his company director husband Craig, 36, who often worked away. Matthew Scully-Hicks and his partner were viewed as ‘very positive parents’ for little Elsie after she was taken away from her drug addict natural mother

An investigation into social services’ handling of the Scully-Hicks case was launched after it emerged social workers visited the family home up to 15 times in the year before Elsie’s death. Scully-Hicks denied murdering little Elsie but was found guilty by a jury after a four-and-a-half week trial at Cardiff Crown Court.

The trial heard Elsie suffered a catalogue of injuries when she was alone at home with stay-at-home dad Scully-Hicks. He then murdered her after a fatal attack at the family home in Llandaff, Cardiff, on May 25 last year. Elsie’s adoption was overseen by the Vale of Glamorgan Council – and senior figures were quizzed over their handling of Scully-Hicks case. The Child Practice Review it was a ‘tragic and untimely death of a child’ who had been involved with social services since being born to a drug-using mother. A report revealed her injuries including bruises to her head and a broken leg were dismissed as just ‘childhood accidents’ by social workers

But it said that the officials handling her adoption could not have predicted that she would be murdered by Scully-Hicks. It said: ‘There was no information during the assessment stages of the parents that could or would have predicted what happened to this child. New picture of murdered girl, 13, as police hunt killer‘The assessment of them as adoptive parents was strong and robust and was compliant with good practice standards.’

It said Scully-Hicks and his partner were ‘perceived to be very positive parents for this child.’ The report said: ‘Given how strongly this view was held, the injuries that the child sustained were never considered as anything other than childhood accidents. ‘Adoption is a positive outcome for almost every child. It is extremely rare for any child placed for adoption to be harmed by their parents. Elsie was seen many times by social workers and adoption officers in her short life

‘The parents, their extended family nor any of the professionals working with the child had recognised any concerns regarding possible harm. ‘There were no reports to children’s services of any such concern. As a result there is a lack of professional curiosity regarding the child’s experiences and injuries.’ But it revealed how little Elsie was seen many times by social workers and adoption officers in her short life. Brighton brings the glam and glitter for Pride 2018It said: ‘The child was not invisible to agencies at any time. The parents did not indicate at any stage that they were struggling to care for this child and did not require any additional support services.

‘It is evident that during the child’s placement with the parents the child was seen on many occasions by several professionals within the agencies.’ It hit out at errors by not flagging up injuries suffered by Elsie before her death. The report states: ‘The omission of identifying the second fracture to the child’s upper leg on the X-ray was a missed opportunity to raised safeguarding concerns and instigate child protection procedures.

‘The observations and recording of the large bruise to the child’s forehead both by children’s services and health was absent. ‘This resulted in the large bruise becoming “invisible” to professionasl and did not form part of building an overal picture of what was happenign to the child before the final report to the court prior to the adoption order hearing being made. More: UK Pedigree dog takes Belgian citizenship over fears of a no-deal Brexit First woman fined for violating Denmark’s new burka ban Grandfather grows potential world record breaking cucumber by praying to it‘There is always learning to be gained and this case is no different. ‘Some new information and the learning from it has been gained from other proceedings primarily through the criminal trial. The conclusion is that there are some systems and practices that should be improved.’ When he was jailed Scully-Hicks looked on emotionless as Judge Mrs Justice Nicola Davies told him he had been ‘entrusted to protect and care’ for Elsie – but instead murdered her. Elsie was even rushed to hospital after vomiting blood – but Scully-Hicks claimed she had fallen down the stairs.”

 

Baby was killed by adoptive dad after social workers showed ‘lack of professional curiosity’

[Metro 8/2/18 by Tanveer Mann]

Update 3:“Our adoption system is failing children. The review into the death of Elsie Scully-Hicks identified important lessons for professionals involved in protecting children. But it does not go far enough: it misses a number of fundamental flaws in the system that were evident before her death. These flaws can lead to vulnerable children being rushed into unsuitable adoptions, and then pushed back into care once the adoption breaks down.

This should not be news to social workers, adopters or foster carers. But there is a culture of unquestioned optimism and inadequate scrutiny of decision-making through the process that can be disastrous. Indeed, it should be no surprise to anyone working in the system that one theme of the review was that, with the benefit of hindsight, professionals were excessively positive about Elsie’s adoptive placement.
Chances missed to save Cardiff toddler killed by father, review finds
Read more

The implication is that social workers and health professionals were unwilling to consider that adoptive parents might harm their child. That is inevitable in a system that, despite the complex realities, views adoption as the optimum outcome for children in care. It is a system that treats potential adoptive parents’ experiences differently to those of birth parents: anecdotally, an adoptive parent who has experienced some form of childhood adversity is likely to be described as resilient and empathic to the needs of the children they may adopt. The same experience in a birth parent’s childhood is likely to be seen as the opposite – a risk factor and an area of vulnerability.

There are stark differences in the way potential adopters and birth parents are assessed. When a local authority begins care proceedings, it is not unusual for birth parents to be asked to engage in endless assessments by various professionals. Commonly, this will include examinations of their parenting capacity, cognitive functioning (including psychometric testing) and mental health, the latter two led by a psychologist. Often there will be duplications, with two social workers each completing different assessments, with many families repeatedly asked the same questions. In the case of a parent with a learning disability, there will usually be a further parenting assessment.

Potential adopters, in contrast, are assessed once by a social worker who then acts as their supervisor and advocate. Assessments of adopters tend to be overly descriptive with little analysis. While the review into Elsie Scully-Hicks’ death asserted that the assessments of her adopters were robust, in general there are substantial inconsistencies in the quality of these assessments. My experience is that it is not uncommon for them to be less rigorous and demanding than assessments of birth parents. Guidance on assessments of adopters was revised in 2011 to increase levels of analysis, but little seems to have changed.

Typically, adopters whose application is approved will continue to be represented by the social worker who assessed them. This means that their social worker is invested in the adopters having a child placed in their care – it is on the basis of their professional judgment that this recommendation is made. But it is also in the interests of the child’s social worker for them to be placed with an adopter, because otherwise there would be a delay to the child being provided with a long-term placement.

The coalition government’s well-intentioned drive to speed up the adoption process has added pressure to prioritise a placement even if there is uncertainty about its merits. It does not feel like a system that promotes sound decision-making, and there seems to be a lack of scrutiny at every stage: once a court grants a placement order, a local authority is free to place a child in an adopter’s care. Adoption panels, which should provide independent oversight, have little real authority to challenge proposed placements and only make recommendations. It is unusual for them to probe social workers’ analysis. The adoption agency decision maker, who must approve the placement, bases their decision on the reports from the social workers, which are bound to be positive.

Similarly, when courts are asked to grant an adoption order, decisions are based on a suitability report from the social workers involved, Moreover, once the child has been placed in the care of the adopter, professionals are reluctant to disrupt the placement. A social worker would have to have enormous confidence in their judgment to suggest moving a child once they have settled into a new home.

The number of adoption breakdowns is evidence of the inadequacy of existing processes. A 2014 government-commissioned study found that 3.2% of adoptions broke down over a 12-year period, but that hides large differences across the country – the rate is said to be as high as 20% in some areas and a BBC survey last year found 25% of adoptive families were “in crisis”. The cause of poor outcomes for these families is frequently attributed to the lack of support services available to adoptive parents. This is undoubtedly a factor. The lack of robust assessments and limited scrutiny of placements must be another.

It is the system that is failing, not individual professionals. It should not have taken the death of a child to highlight flaws in the system, but this must lead to improvements in the way social workers select and assess adopters. We must not be afraid to question and challenge colleagues when a decision is being made to place a child with an adopter. There should be additional scrutiny of the processes to match a child with their new family, from the courts and senior managers. If we do not change the system, we implicitly accept that children will continue to be placed with adopters who will reject them or, at worst, harm them.”

Why did it take a child’s death to reveal adoption system failings?

[The Guardian 8/23/18 by Stanley Mason]