Matthew Shane Ellery was jailed for life for the murder of 6-month-old Serenity Scott-Dinnington. Photo / Christine Cornege
Matthew Shane Ellery was jailed for life for the murder of 6-month-old Serenity Scott-Dinnington. Photo / Christine Cornege
A man who threw his girlfriend’s 6-month-old baby headfirst on to the floor, then smothered her with a nappy, has said he “couldn’t handle the screaming and crying”.
Serenity Scott-Dinnington died two days later at Starship children’s hospital but it would be months before Matthew Ellery owned up to whathe’d done, instead blaming his partner’s brother for the assault.
Now, having spent more than 13 years behind bars after pleading guilty to murder in 2013, Ellery has given some insight into why he did what he did.
“I was having arguments with my partner quite a lot, which made me angrier at everything I was doing,” he told a panel of the New Zealand Parole Board on Tuesday as he became eligible for early release.
Ellery said on the night of the fatal incident he had a fight with Serenity’s mother, Chelsea Scott, about the baby crying and how he felt he was looking after the girl rather than her.
“I thought I shouldn’t have been looking after her child,” he told the board.
“I couldn’t handle the screaming and crying... At the time, I was very frustrated and angry.”
According to the summary of facts, Ellery moved in with Scott and her brother Drew in early 2011 and within a few months became aggravated by the child’s crying.
Ellery went into Serenity’s room at the Ngāruawāhia property while her mother and uncle were playing cards in the living room, grabbed her by the legs and threw her headfirst on to the floor.
Matthew Ellery (left), pictured with Chelsea Scott, was jailed for killing Serenity Scott-Dinnington (right). Photos / Supplied
He took a cloth nappy and smothered her until there was no more noise.
Ellery then went to the dairy, came back to the house and smoked a cigarette before returning to the room where he saw Serenity’s eyes rolling back into her head. He called out for Chelsea Scott to phone for an ambulance.
“Once I went to the shop, I was not thinking; I was in too much shock,” Ellery told the board.
“I couldn’t believe I’d just taken the life of an innocent child.”
‘I was scared of being put in jail for the rest of my life’
While Ellery was forthcoming at the hearing about his involvement in Serenity’s death, at the time, he blamed Drew Scott. He even appeared on Campbell Live in July 2011 alongside Chelsea Scott to profess his innocence.
At Ellery’s sentencing in 2013 after a guilty plea, Drew Scott said he was cut off from his family and assaulted following the false accusation.
The board questioned why Ellery had done something so callous.
“At that point, I was again just shocked about what I’d done. I was scared of being put in jail for the rest of my life,” he said.
“In my mind, it was easier to blame someone else than take full responsibility.”
Serenity Scott-Dinnington died after being dropped on her head by Matthew Ellery in 2011. Photo / Christine Cornege
Ellery has not had any misconduct in prison since 2019, when he falsely accused another inmate of sexual assault. He explained to the board he was afraid of the man.
A personality test conducted by a prison psychologist found Ellery was inclined to distort reality to maintain a positive self-impression.
When asked what he thought about this, Ellery said: “No one likes to be put down, but I have learned to sit with those comments and not react now.”
‘I’ve learned to stop and breathe’
Ellery said at the time of the murder he was smoking a lot of cannabis and would do a lot of stupid things to get hold of it; however, it just made him angrier and less patient.
These days, he says, he doesn’t need drugs and alcohol to live a good life.
“I’ve learned how to control frustration, which has been a big part of my offending in the past,” he said.
“I’ve learned to stop and breathe and expand how I’m going to respond to certain situations if I get put into a risky situation.”
Ellery has been working on Waikeria Prison’s dairy farm and hopes to work in the same industry if he’s released on parole.
At the hearing, he wasn’t seeking release as he hasn’t yet sorted accommodation outside prison. As such, he was denied parole but will be seen again in August next year.
Jeremy Wilkinson is an Open Justice reporter based in Manawatū, covering courts and justice issues with an interest in tribunals. He has been a journalist for nearly a decade and has worked for NZME since 2022.
