Matthew Scully-Hicks, 31, is accused of inflicting devastating injuries on Elsie Scully-Hicks, including brain haemorrhages that ultimately caused her death.
A post mortem revealed that the toddler had suffered several broken ribs, a fractured left femur and a fractured skull.
Scully-Hicks had adopted Elsie with his partner only two weeks prior to her death on May 25, 2016.
Elsie had started living with them in Llandaff, Cardiff in September of 2015 after being removed from her birth mother, who was a drug user.
A stay-at-home dad, Scully-Hicks had called emergency services at around 6:20pm after the toddler became unresponsive, Cardiff Crown Court heard.
She was pronounced dead at University Hospital of Wales on May 29 despite paramedics working hard to save her life.
'It is the prosecution case that the injuries that caused Elsie's death were inflicted upon her by the defendant shortly before he called the emergency services that day,' the prosector, Paul Lewis said.
‘We allege that his attack on her on that day was not the first time that he had employed violence towards Elsie, nor was it the first time that he had caused her serious injury. ‘We allege that his actions on the late afternoon/evening of May 25 were the tragic culmination of a course of violent conduct on his part towards a defenceless child – an infant that he should have loved and protected, but whom he instead assaulted, abused and ultimately murdered.'
The jury also heart Scully-Hicks had sent text messages to friends suggesting he was 'struggling to cope' with the children and also referred to Elsie in texts to his partner as 'Satan dressed in a baby grow!'
Neighbours also said they heard him cursing at her.
This article originally appeared on New Idea.
