Murder accused father Ben Butler was 'very nice, kind, loving man'

Ben Butler denies murdering his daughter Ellie in October 2013

The partner of a man accused of battering their six-year-old daughter to death described him as a "very nice, kind, loving man" to police.

An Old Bailey jury was read the transcript of Jennie Gray's interview with police following her daughter Ellie's death in 2013.

Her partner Ben Butler denies murder and child cruelty.

Ms Gray, 36, denies child cruelty but has admitted perverting the course of justice.

In the transcripts she said Mr Butler was "completely different from what people imagine."

"Around me he's been great. He has been a rock for me. A very nice, kind, loving man."

Jennie Gray denies child cruelty relating to an untreated broken shoulder Ellie suffered before her death

She said that Ellie "means the world to him" and this was why he went to the High Court in 2012 to get her back after a conviction for assaulting her as a baby was quashed.

The jury has also watched recorded footage which showed Ellie present in the room while her father directed an abusive tirade at someone down a phone.

She is seen in her pyjamas with a thick bandage on her leg while her father shouts into the phone off-camera.

Three clips of Ellie were taken from a camera found in parents' bedroom at their home in Westover Close, Sutton, south-west London.

The charge of child cruelty, which both accused deny, relates to an earlier injury to Ellie.

The case continues.