Matthew Scully-Hicks: Court played 999 call of man accused of killing adopted daughter telling her to 'wake up'

Elsie suffered several broken ribs, a fractured left femur and a fractured skull

Scully-Hicks, a part-time fitness instructor of Delabole, Cornwall, denies murdering Elsie at the couple's home in Llandaff, Cardiff (PA)

A court was played a 999 call in which a fitness instructor accused of murdering his adopted daughter told her to "stay awake" after she fell down the stairs.

Matthew Scully-Hicks, 31, is accused of inflicting a catalogue of serious injuries on Elsie Scully-Hicks before her death in May 2016.

He had formally adopted the 18-month-old with husband Craig Scully-Hicks, 36, an account manager, just two weeks earlier.

Scully-Hicks, from Delabole, Cornwall, denies murdering Elsie at the couple's four-bedroom home in Llandaff, Cardiff, on 29 May.

Elsie, who was removed from her natural mother within days of her birth in November 2014, went to live with the Scully-Hickses in September 2015.

She fractured her right leg in November that year and suffered bruises to her head in December and January 2016.

On 10 March, she was taken to the University Hospital of Wales after falling down the stairs.

In the 27-minute-long 999 call, Scully-Hicks was heard saying "Elsie, Elsie, come on, stay awake, stay awake, stay awake, babe, come on" while waiting for paramedics to arrive.

He claimed Elsie had fallen down the stairs after a wooden stair gate accidentally opened when she pulled herself up on it.

The court was told that Elsie vomited three times after the fall and did not qualify for a CT scan in Wales.

Tests showed Elsie had evidence of both recent and older bleeding in her brain, and haemorrhages in front of her eyes.

A post-mortem examination revealed that she had suffered several broken ribs, a fractured left femur and a fractured skull.

She died at the hospital in the early hours of 29 May.

Following her death, police found messages allegedly sent by Scully-Hicks describing Elsie as "Satan dressed up in a Babygro".

The trial continues.

Additional reporting by PA