Ellie Butler's Mother Denies Partner Beat Her

A mother accused of covering-up the murder of her six-year-old daughter has told a jury her partner was never physically violent towards her or her children and that he only attacked her with words.

During a day of often contentious cross-examination at the Old Bailey, Jennie Gray said she could not accept that her daughter Ellie Butler, who died in October 2013, had gone.

Ms Gray denied the prosecution's claims that since she had previously lied to police, doctors, schoolteachers and social workers, that she was lying again in the witness box to cover up her partner Ben Butler's involvement in her daughter's death.

Ms Gray, 36, who has pleaded guilty to perverting the course of justice, has been charged with child cruelty over her daughter's untreated broken shoulder.

Mr Butler is also accused of child cruelty and the murder of his daughter. The couple deny all the charges.

Ben FitzGerald, prosecuting, suggested Ms Gray's household was one of anger, short tempers and outbursts of physical violence and that she was "lying to save him, and yourself".

He cited as evidence prayers found by police that she is alleged to have written: "Please don't let Ben leave me, learn to love me...stop violence," and "Make him stop being angry, hateful and violent".

Ms Gray told the jury her partner could be violent "towards other men on night's out," but that he had only attacked her with his words, and never done so in front of their daughter.

"He never beat me, he used to berate me...he was verbally abusive," she said.

She told the court she did not remember searching the internet for "domestic violence" and "I am with a bully man who beats me and hurts me" in the months before her daughter's death.

When asked about Ellie's extended absences from school, Ms Gray claimed she had mistakenly thought her daughter's school term started a week later.

The trial continues.