PUBLISHERS NOTE: I previously posted on a decision in which a court quashed Ben Butler's conviction for assaulting his baby daughter Ellie. Now Butler is on trial for allegedly murdering 6-year-old Ellie at the family home in 2013.
Harold Levy: Publisher; The Charles Smith Blog.
STORY: "Ben Butler trial: daughter killed after assault conviction quashed," published by The Guardian on April 19, 2016.
SUB-HEADING: "Parents of Ellie Butler acted out ‘elaborate’ charade to cover up murder, Old Bailey jurors told."
PHOTO CAPTION: "Ben Butler and his daughter Ellie. He allegedly caused ‘catastrophic head injuries’ while her mother was at work."
GIST: "A man accused of killing his six-year-old daughter had his conviction for assaulting her as a baby quashed, a court was told. Ben Butler, 36, who is on trial for murder and child cruelty, had been found guilty of causing serious head injuries to Ellie Butler in 2007, when she was put into foster care. When his conviction was quashed in 2010, Butler and his partner Jennie Gray sought her return in the high court. In November 2012, Ellie was sent back to live at the family home in Sutton, south-west London. Less than a year later, she was found dead in her bedroom. Butler allegedly caused “catastrophic head injuries” while Gray was at work in the City in October 2013. He then acted out an “elaborate” charade with the child’s mother to cover up the murder, jurors heard at the opening the trial at the Old Bailey on Tuesday. Butler is on trial for murder while both parents are accused of child cruelty. He has denied murder and has jointly denied child cruelty with Gray. The trial continues."
The entire story can be found at:
