Murder of Ellie Butler
Ellie Butler (30 December 2006 – 28 October 2013) was a British girl who was murdered by her father, Ben Butler, at his home in Sutton, London.
In 2007, Ben Butler was arrested after Ellie was taken to hospital with serious head and eye injuries. Ellie then lived with her maternal grandparents until late 2012, when a judge ordered she be returned to her parents.
On 21 June 2016, Ben Butler was found guilty of murder at the Old Bailey and given a minimum sentence of 23 years in prison. His partner, Jennie Gray (Ellie’s mother), was jailed for 42 months after admitting perverting the course of justice, and both were found guilty of child cruelty.
A Serious Case Review by the Sutton Safeguarding Children Board was published after the conviction to examine how Ellie’s case was handled.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 02:05 (CET).