A Good Judge of Character ?

[faithlilly]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3600545/Family-court-judge-returned-Ellie-killer-father-despite-knowing-dishonest-violent.html#ixzz4CDt0EK99

Female family court judge was told she'd have 'blood on her hands' after she returned Ellie to her violent father who killed her just months later
Butler previously lost custody of Ellie after being convicted of shaking her
But, after conviction overturned, she was sent back to live with him again
Family judge said he was 'exonerated', making him difficult to monitor
Ellie's grandfather warned judge would have 'blood on her hands'
Less than a year after Ellie was sent back to him, she was killed
By RICHARD SPILLETT FOR MAILONLINE
PUBLISHED: 12:09, 21 June 2016 | UPDATED: 16:06, 21 June 2016
     

A family court judge who returned Ellie Butler to her murderous father was told she'd 'have blood on her hands', it emerged today. 
The little girl was taken away from violent father Ben Butler when she still a baby after he was convicted of shaking her less than two months after she was born.
But - following a dispute over how his trial was handled - Butler's conviction was overturned and he and his partner Jennie Gray launched a campaign to win Ellie back from the loving grandparents she had been placed with.
In an extraordinary judgement in 2012, family judge Mrs Justice Hogg then accepted the couple's version of events and went even further than appeal judges by declaring Butler 'exonerated'.
As the judge's decision came in for strong criticism today, it emerged that Ellie's grandfather, who had looked after Ellie she was first removed from her parents, told the court it 'may have blood on its hands'.
Little Ellie Butler was sent back to live with her parents by family judge Mrs Justice Hogg less than a year before he killed her
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In an extraordinary move in 2012, the judge 'exonerated' him of previous violence
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Little Ellie Butler was sent back to live with her parents by family judge Mrs Justice Hogg less than a year before he killed her. In an extraordinary move in 2012, the judge 'exonerated' him of previous violence
In a court order which can be reported for the first time today, the family judge also took the astonishing step of demanding that independent social workers be brought in and Sutton council, which had been involved with Ellie, be removed from the case.
Her decision came despite Butler's previous convictions for attempted robbery, witness intimidation and assault and the fact that the couple had repeatedly lied to authorities during care proceedings.
Less than a year later, Ellie was found dead and a jury today found that Butler killed her. Prosecutors said the stay-at-home father murdered her in a fit of rage.
In light of Ellie's subsequent death, Mrs Justice Hogg's finding that the injuries which Ellie first suffered were 'purely accidental' appears all the more concerning. 

The history of the tragic case can now be reported after Butler was jailed for life for murder, while Ellie's mother Jennie Gray was sentenced to three-and-a-half years in prison for child cruelty and helping cover up his terrible crime. 
It can also be revealed that Gray's father Neal even warned the judge she would have 'blood on your hands' as she sanctioned the return of little Ellie to Butler's care.
Ellie had been happy with her loving grandparents, Neal and Linda, who spent thousands of pounds battling to keep her in their care and did not want to give her up.
A serious case review into Ellie's death stated: 'When invited to make a statement near the end of the case, [the grandfather had spoken to the court in the strongest of terms about the risks to [Ellie], warning the court 'that they may have blood on their hands'.

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[Wonderfulspam]

'Pure evil' Ben Butler is jailed for 23 years for murdering daughter Ellie, 6, in one of the 'worst ever cases of domestic violence' that left the girl with such catastrophic injuries her head was a 'boggy mass'

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3640518/Ben-Butler-GUILTY-murdering-six-year-old-daughter-Ellie.html

Scheming father played the victim on TV claiming there had been a miscarriage of justice as he launched a campaign to win back his daughter - months later he battered her to death

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3565326/How-Ben-Butler-went-TV-publicity-campaign-win-daughter-battered-death.html

[Alice Purjorick]

I would imagine the connection is Mrs Justice Hogg.

[Alice Purjorick]

'Pure evil' Ben Butler is jailed for 23 years for murdering daughter Ellie, 6, in one of the 'worst ever cases of domestic violence' that left the girl with such catastrophic injuries her head was a 'boggy mass'

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3640518/Ben-Butler-GUILTY-murdering-six-year-old-daughter-Ellie.html

Scheming father played the victim on TV claiming there had been a miscarriage of justice as he launched a campaign to win back his daughter - months later he battered her to death

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3565326/How-Ben-Butler-went-TV-publicity-campaign-win-daughter-battered-death.html

Fascinating.

[John]

I would imagine the connection is Mrs Justice Hogg.

She retired from the High Court in 2016, 6 days prior to the beginning of the trial of Ben Butler for killing his daughter, whom she had previously exonerated despite advice from his local council not to.

In March 2009, Ben Butler, who had a series of convictions for violent offences, was convicted and jailed for causing grevious bodiy harm to his daughter, a ruling which was quashed at the Court of Appeal by Hogg. Less than a year after his release, Butler went on to kill his six year old daughter Ellie. Ellie's school, Avenue Primary, had concerns about her welfare prior to her death but were unable to involve local authority social services as Hogg had ordered that social services should no longer be involved with the family.

In some of her final words on the matter, Mrs Justice Hogg wrote: "It is seldom that I see a 'happy end' in public law proceedings. It is a joy for me to oversee the return of a child to her parents… the story does not end today. There is still work to be done."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-36516384

[stephen25000]

'Pure evil' Ben Butler is jailed for 23 years for murdering daughter Ellie, 6, in one of the 'worst ever cases of domestic violence' that left the girl with such catastrophic injuries her head was a 'boggy mass'

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3640518/Ben-Butler-GUILTY-murdering-six-year-old-daughter-Ellie.html

Scheming father played the victim on TV claiming there had been a miscarriage of justice as he launched a campaign to win back his daughter - months later he battered her to death

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3565326/How-Ben-Butler-went-TV-publicity-campaign-win-daughter-battered-death.html

The minimum sentence of 23 years isn't sufficient for this s..mbag.

It should be for life.

[Wonderfulspam]

The minimum sentence of 23 years isn't sufficient for this s..mbag.

It should be for life.

.....& the lying mother only got three & a half years.

 &%&£(+

[Alice Purjorick]

.....& the lying mother only got three & a half years.

 &%&£(+

The ITV News presenter closed the report with " they were, as ever, only interested in themselves"

[G-Unit]

I hope this judge can live with herself. She thought she knew better than the child's grandfather and the local Social Services department. Surely caution is best when child safety is involved? I hope there's an investigation into her conduct and they make sure she can't cause any more harm, whatever she's doing now. 

[Eleanor]

This is a heart breaking story about a little girl who was proven to have been savagely beaten to Death by her father.

[faithlilly]

Her appalling lack of judgement has lead to an innocent child's death. Is it libel to say so?

[G-Unit]

Libelling? Her appalling lack of judgement has lead to an innocent child's death. Is it libel to say so?

A serious case review was carried out by Marion Davis, a former president of the Association of Directors of Children’s Services. Her findings were "the crux of the matter rests with Mrs Justice Hogg. The extra steps she took were unwarranted.” “She [Hogg] gave permission for a letter exonerating Ben Butler of causing any harm to Ellie to be circulated to all agencies and said he was victim of a miscarriage of justice,” said Davis.

“This is the most extraordinary element of the whole case. To say it’s surprising is an understatement, it’s an extraordinary step to take. Once that court judgment from Mrs Justice Hogg was in place there was virtually nothing that could be done to affect the outcome for Ellie.”
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2016/jun/22/ellie-butler-judge-took-unwarranted-steps-to-reunite-her-with-violent-parents

[Wonderfulspam]

Libelling? Her appalling lack of judgement has lead to an innocent child's death. Is it libel to say so?

She overruled the police, insisting the pair were above suspicion.

And in the McCann case, she spouted abduction as fact, while the McCanns were still suspects.

[John]

She overruled the police, insisting the pair were above suspicion.

And in the McCann case, she spouted abduction as fact, while the McCanns were still suspects.

Stick that in your pipe & smoke it Eleanor.

Both Mrs Hogg and Judge Masipa in the Pistorius case got their respective judgements terribly wrong.  Hogg retired while Masipa continues to sit in judgement of Pistorius.  What does that tell us?

[G-Unit]

Both Mrs Hogg and Judge Masipa in the Pistorius case got their respective judgements terribly wrong.  Hogg retired while Masipa continues to sit in judgement of Pistorius.  What does that tell us?

It tells us that Hogg either resigned voluntarily when she realised her position was untenable or she was asked/told to resign. That didn't happen with Masipa, but I don't know why. Do you?