An 18-month-old girl fell down the stairs, broke her leg and suffered multiple bruises in the months before she was murdered by her adoptive father but no one stepped in to prevent her death.

An investigation has been launched into whether opportunities were missed to save the life of 18-month Elsie Scully-Hicks, who was visited by health and social workers 12 times and examined by doctors at least five times.

Her father, Matthew Scully-Hicks, 31, was allowed to adopt Elsie despite months of abuse. He eventually killed her while his husband was at work.

Two weeks after the fitness instructor and his husband, Craig Scully Hicks, formally completed the adoption process, the “delicate” little girl was beaten and shaken to death.

She died in hospital on May 29 last year, four days after being admitted with several broken ribs, a broken leg, bleeding on the brain and a fractured skull.

Scully Hicks, who referred to Elsie as a “psycho” and “satan in a babygro,” was convicted of murder by a unanimous jury following a four-week trial and will be sentenced at Cardiff Crown Court on Tuesday.

Police custody image of Matthew Scully-Hicks credit: South Wales Police/Athena Pictures

An independent review will now consider the various opportunities that professionals may have had to step in and protect Elsie before she was killed.

At least four social workers and a health visitor made regular visits to the family home in Llandaff, Cardiff, between September 2015, when she was placed in the couple’s care, until her death, eight months later.

During that time, she was rushed to hospital after apparently falling down the stairs, suffered two fractured legs, two bruises to her head and and developed a squint in one eye.

A GP and hospital staff including a registrar saw Elsie or treated her injuries and yet no action was taken.

Vale of Glamorgan council, which placed the little girl with the couple, gave formal approval to the adoption just two weeks before she was murdered.

A Child Practice Review has now been commissioned "into the tragic circumstances" of Elsie's death, a spokesman for the Cardiff and Vale of Glamorgan Regional Safeguarding Children Board said.

The review will examine the contact Elsie and Scully-Hicks had with various agencies after she was placed in his care. It is also expected to look at how the adoption was approved and monitored.

A picture of stairs that Elsie allegedly fell down that was shown in court during the trial of Matthew Scully-Hicks credit: Crown Prosecution Service/PA

Harry Ferguson, Professor of Social Work at the University of Birmingham said the outcome would be dependent on whether each injury was approached as an isolated incident or whether anyone took an overview of the history and noticed a pattern.

He said it was “poignant” that the injuries were inflicted while the couple were being approved as adopters and that Elsie was murdered very soon after that decision was formalised.

“Research shows that professionals can find it very difficult to change their view of carers once this has become established and thereafter any behaviours that could be construed as raising concerns about children are filtered through this (positive) view of parents moral character,” he added.

“This may be accentuated when the family are middle class.”

Scully-Hicks had opted to stay at home to raise Elsie and her adopted sibling while his husband, whom he married in 2012, worked full time.

But the jury heard the former lifeguard had struggled to cope, yelling "shut the f---" up at Elsie and calling her a "little f------- brat" and a "silly little c---" when she cried.

A picture of a stairgate shown in court during the trial of Matthew Scully-Hicks credit: Crown Prosecution Service/PA

In November 2015, she was found to have fractured her right tibia above her ankle. A second fracture - above her right knee - was not spotted until the x-rays were reviewed after death.

Dr Sarah Harrison said the explanation that she had fallen from an activity table was unlikely, adding that she had never seen fractures of both bones like that in a child of that age.

On the day of her death, Scully-Hicks claimed he had been changing his daughter for bed when she “went all floppy and limp."

Tests showed she had suffered three separate areas of bleeding on her brain, bleeding in both eyes, a skull fracture and three rib fractures.

Court artist sketch of Matthew Scully-Hicks appearing at Cardiff Crown Court credit: Elizabeth Cook/PA

Consultant paediatrician Dr Stephen Rose said her injuries could be explained by her being "shaken violently" and that her fractured skull would have been caused by a blow to her head, with Elsie thrown against a hard floor or her head knocked against a wall.

Elsie's rib fractures were likely caused by Scully-Hicks gripping her, the court heard.

Mrs Justice Nicola Davies said the series of attacks on vulnerable Elsie were a "gross abuse of trust" and that there was compelling evidence" that Scully-Hicks was responsible for the injuries across her body.