A 31-year-old man, Matthew Scully-Hicks, a former fitness instructor, abused 18-month-old girl Elsie Scully-Hicks to death for two weeks after formally adopting her. He was sentenced to life imprisonment and to serve a minimum of 18 years in prison.
South Wales Police Cardiff
The birth family of Elsie has said she would "still be alive today" if she had not been taken away from "them". It was disclosed that one of her her biological grandparents had tried to adopt her when she was taken from her mom, but social services ruled she would struggle to handle it.
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South Wales Police Cardiff
South Wales Police Cardiff
South Wales Police Cardiff
South Wales Police Cardiff
The court was told she suffered a cardiac arrest and was bleeding behind the eyes due to severe assaults caused by his stay-at-home father Scully-Hicks.
After months of abuse with violently shaking her and banging her head on a hard surface, the baby was dead while it was just two weeks after he formally adopted her with his 36-year-old husband Craig.
South Wales Police Cardiff
Mrs Justice Nicola Davies sentenced Scully-Hicks with consideration of a victim impact statement provided by Elsie's birth family.
In the statement, Elsie as originally named Shayla O'Brien. On behalf of the family, her birth grandmother Sian O'Brien said, "I accept that at the time of giving birth my daughter was living a chaotic lifestyle and was not in a position to care for Shayla and she was removed from the hospital five days after birth by social services."
"As a family, we continued to have contact with Shayla whilst she was in the care of the foster family." she complemented Elsie's family were "extremely attached to her and loved her very much".
"I wanted to bring her up in a happy, healthy and warm family environment, that was all taken away from me when social services and the family court decided I would not be able to cope," continued the statement. "We all continue to fight on even though every day we are numb with pain and hurt deep in the knowledge that Shayla was loved unconditionally by us all as a family and knowing that had she not been taken away from us, she would still be alive today."
South Wales Police Cardiff
Before weeks she was dead, the court heard, a number of suspicious injuries, including bruises and a leg broken, were found on her body as she had fallen down the stairs.
Mrs Justice Davies commented Scully-Hicks murdered the young, vulnerable and defenseless toddler after calling her "Satan in a Babygro" and telling her to "shut the f**k up" at his home in Llandaff, Cardiff.
"She had been entrusted to the care of yourself and your husband, Craig Scully-Hicks, her adoptive fathers," she said. "Shortly before 6:19 pm on May 25, 2016, you inflicted injuries of such severity upon Elsie as to cause her immediate collapse and her death on May 29."
"In deliberately inflicting serious injuries upon your 18-month-old adopted daughter you abused the trust which had been placed in you as Elsie's adoptive father."
Listing her injuries, the judge added: "Elsie suffered a cardiac arrest. She sustained hypoxic ischaemic encephalopathy, a brain injury including subdural haematoma, bleeding in the eyes, the retina, the perimacular folds and in the area of the optic nerve."
Daily Mail Online
She also said that Scully-Hicks realised his predispositions since he had called emergency services, but he took no steops to prevent a recurrence of the earlier incidents when Elsie suffered injuries as a result of his actions.
He called Elsie "a psycho", "the exorcist" and "Satan dressed up in a Babygro" in text messages and neighbours also heard he called Elsie a "little f****** brat" and a "silly little c***".
"You are an intelligent man. You would have known you were struggling to cope with Elsie, "Mrs Justice Davies added. "You knew that in November and December your frustration and anger towards Elsie had resulted in injuries to her. You told no one the truth of what had occurred nor the reason for it."
"You were living in comfortable social circumstances with the close support of professional agencies, your husband, and wider family."
"You have been assessed by two independent psychiatrists who found no psychiatric condition which would have affected your actions."
"Regular visits were made by social workers and the health visitor. To no one, not even your husband, did you have the courage to speak of your difficulties."
"You put your own self-interest before that of the young child you had been entrusted to protect."
Scully-Hicks, denying the murder, sobbed in the count when he was convicted.
South Wales Police Cardiff
Social services in the Vale of Glamorgan is now facing an investigation after they visited the family 15 times but still raised no concerns, even finding out the horrific injuries on her body.
Elsie was formally adopted by Scully-Hicks' couples on May 12, 2016 and suffered fatal injuries at their home in Llandaff, Cardiff, on May 25, which is two weeks after the adoption.
A spokesperson for the Vale of Glamorgan Council said, "The Regional Safeguarding Children Board, as the relevant statutory body, has commissioned an independent Child Practice Review into the tragic death of Elsie Scully-Hicks."
"It would be inappropriate for the Vale of Glamorgan Council to comment further until this independent review has concluded."
The Golden Globes bill themselves as Hollywood’s booziest bash. This year, is anyone ready to party?
Political tension and industrywide uncertainty are the prevailing moods heading into Sunday night's 83rd Golden Globes. Hollywood is coming off a disappointing box-office year and now anxiously awaits the fate of one of its most storied studios, Warner Bros.
A celebratory mood might be even more elusive given that the wide majority of the performers and filmmakers congregating at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California, oppose the policies of President Donald Trump. Likely to be on the minds of many attendees: the recent U.S. involvement in Venezuela and the fatal shooting of 37-year-old mother Renee Good in Minneapolis by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
But through their ups and downs, the Globes have always tried to put pomp over politics. Host Nikki Glaser has vowed as much.
“You’d be surprised that half the room had no clue why I was saying ‘Venezuela,’” Glaser told The Associated Press earlier in the week, referring to her comedy-club warm-ups. “People aren’t getting the news like we all are.”
Glaser, a comic known for her roast appearances, has promised to go after A-listers in her second time hosting.
“We’re going to hit Leo,” Glaser said. “The icebergs are coming.”
Here’s what to look for at this year’s Globes:
The Golden Globes kick off at 8 p.m. EST on CBS while streaming live for Paramount+ premium subscribers. E!’s red carpet coverage begins at 6 p.m. EST.
The Associated Press will be have a livestream show beginning at 4:30 p.m. Eastern with a mix of stars' arrivals, fashion shots and celebrity interviews. It will be available on YouTube and APNews.
The overwhelming Oscar favorite “One Battle After Another” comes in with a leading nine nominations. It’s competing in the Globes’ musical or comedy category, which means the drama side might be more competitive. There, Ryan Coogler’s “Sinners,” Chloé Zhao’s “Hamnet” and Joachim Trier’s “Sentimental Value” are all in the mix.
But thus far, “One Battle After Another” has cleaned up just about everywhere. Much of Paul Thomas Anderson’s cast is nominated, including DiCaprio, Teyana Taylor, Sean Penn, Chase Infiniti and Benicio Del Toro.
If it and “Sinners” take home the two biggest prizes, it will be a banner night for Warner Bros. even as its future hangs in the balance. The studio has agreed to be acquired by Netflix is a deal worth $82.7 billion. Movie theaters have warned such a result would be “a direct and irreversible negative impact on movie theaters around the world.”
The merger awaits regulatory approval, while Paramount Skydance is still trying to convince Warner shareholders to accept its rival offer.
After an audacious promotional tour for “Marty Supreme,” Timothée Chalamet is poised to win his first Globe in five nominations. In best actor, comedy or musical, he’ll have to beat DiCaprio, a three-time Globe winner, and Ethan Hawke (“Blue Moon”).
In best actress, comedy or musical, Rose Byrne is the favorite for her performance in the not especially funny A24 indie “If I Had Legs I’d Kick You.” One prominent nominee in the category, Cynthia Erivo (“Wicked: For Good”), won’t be attending due to her schedule in the West End production “Dracula.”
Jessie Buckley (“Hamnet”) is the clear front-runner in best actress, drama. In the star-studded best actor, drama, category, the Brazilian actor Wagner Moura (“The Secret Agent”) may win over Michael B. Jordan (“Sinners”) and Joel Edgerton (“Train Dreams”).
In the supporting categories, Teyana Taylor and Stellan Skarsgård come in the favorites.
The Globes, formerly presented by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, have no overlap or direct correlation with the Academy Awards. After being sold in 2023 to Todd Boehly’s Eldridge Industries and Dick Clark Productions, a part of Penske Media, the Globes are voted on by around 400 people. The Oscars are voted on by more than 10,500 professionals.
But in the fluctuating undulations of awards season, a good speech at the Globes can really boost an Oscar campaign. Last year, that seemed to be the case for Demi Moore, who won for “The Substance” and gave the night's most emotional speech. Mikey Madison (“Anora”), however, scored the upset win at the Oscars.
A few potentially good moments this year went instead in a Golden Eve ceremony earlier this week. There, the Cecil B. DeMille and Carol Burnett honorees, Helen Mirren and Sarah Jessica Parker, accepted their awards.
One to watch, if he wins, will be the Iranian director Jafar Panahi. His revenge drama “It Was Just an Accident” is up for four awards. Panahi has spent most of his career making films clandestinely, without approval of authorities, and was until recently banned from leaving the country. Last month, he was sentenced to a year in prison, which would be only his latest stint behind bars if Panahi returns home to serve it. This week, protests over Iran’s ailing economy have spread throughout the country in a new test to Iran's leaders.
For the first time, the Globes are trotting out a new podcast category. The nominees are: “Armchair Expert,” “Call Her Daddy,” “Good Hang With Amy Poehler,” “The Mel Robbins Podcast,” “SmartLess” and “Up First.”
In TV, HBO Max’s “The White Lotus” — another potential big winner for Warner Bros. — leads with six nominations. Netflix’s “Adolescence” comes in with five nods.
But the most closely watched nominee might be “The Studio.” The first season of Seth Rogen’s Hollywood satire memorably included an episode devoted to drama around a night at the Globes. (Sample line: “I remember when the red carpet of the Golden Globes actually stood for something.”) “The Studio” is up for three awards, giving three chances for life to imitate art.
For more coverage of this year’s Golden Globe Awards, visit: https://apnews.com/hub/golden-globe-awards
Teyana Taylor arrives at the 83rd Golden Globes on Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, Calif. (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP)
Stellan Skarsgård, left, and Megan Everett-Skarsgard arrive at the 83rd Golden Globes on Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, Calif. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)
Colman Domingo arrives at the 83rd Golden Globes on Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, Calif. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)
Selena Gomez arrives at the 83rd Golden Globes on Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, Calif. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)
Nikki Glaser arrives at the 83rd Golden Globes on Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, Calif. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)
Maura Higgins, from ledt, Gayle King, and Mona Kosar Abdi arrive at the 83rd Golden Globes on Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, Calif. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)
Derek Hough arrives at the 83rd Golden Globes on Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, Calif. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)
Tessa Thompson arrives at the Golden Globes Golden Eve on Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026, at The Beverly Hilton Hotel, in Beverly Hills, Calif. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)
Nikki Glaser rolls out the red carpet during the 83rd Golden Globes press preview on Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)
