A family court judge's behind-closed-doors ruling which relates to the murder of six-year-old Ellie Butler should be made public, the Court of Appeal has decided.

A three-strong panel - headed by Lord Dyson, the Master of the Rolls and the head of civil justice in England and Wales - analysed issues surrounding publication of the ruling at a hearing in London on Friday.

The ruling was made by Mrs Justice Eleanor King following a behind-closed-doors hearing in the Family Division of the High Court in the summer of 2014 - after Ellie had died but before her father Ben had been convicted of her murder.

Butler is serving life in prison for beating to death the six-year-old in a fit of rage in their home in Westover Close, Belmont, in October 2013.

Another family court judge had decided Mrs Justice King's ruling should not be published in case reporting prejudices any re-trial.

Mrs Justice Pauffley, who is also based in the Family Division of the High Court, last month rejected an application from several media organisations who argued publication of Mrs Justice King's ruling would be in the public interest in the wake of Butler's conviction.

But appeal judges have now overruled Mrs Justice Pauffley and said Mrs Justice King's ruling should be published.

Appeal judges said lawyers should check to ensure any material which identifies Ellie's younger sibling is taken out of Mrs Justice King's ruling before publication.

They indicated the redaction process will take some days.

Editors from the Guardian, Daily Mail, Telegraph and Times newspapers plus bosses from the BBC, ITN and Sky News had asked for Mrs Justice King's judgment to be released.

They had challenged Mrs Justice Pauffley's decision and asked Lord Dyson, along with Lord Justice McFarlane and Lord Justice Burnett, to allow publication.

Barrister Jude Bunting, who represented the media organisations, told appeal judges that Mrs Justice Pauffley had made the wrong decision.

Following a trial at the Old Bailey, Butler was convicted in June of murdering Ellie and given a minimum 23-year jail term.

Ellie's mother Jennie Gray was given a 42-month prison term after being found guilty of child cruelty and admitting perverting the course of justice.

A number of family court judges, including two High Court judges based in the Family Division, had overseen private hearings about Ellie.

The youngster had been placed in the care of her grandparents after Butler was accused of shaking her when she was a baby.

But she was returned to the care of Butler and Gray following a ruling by Mrs Justice Hogg in 2012.

Mrs Justice King analysed issues in 2014 following Ellie's death.

Social services bosses at the London Borough of Sutton, who had responsibility for Ellie's welfare, had asked the judge to make ''findings of fact'' to help staff take decisions about the future of a younger sibling.

Mrs Justice King, who is now a Court of Appeal judge, concluded that on the balance of probabilities, Butler had been ''responsible for Ellie's death''. The judge said Ellie had suffered a skull fracture.

But her full ruling was not revealed.

Mrs Justice Pauffley had forecast that Mrs Justice King's ruling would make ''front-page news'' if published.

The judge said arguments in favour of publication were ''powerful and strong''.

But she said publication was likely to generate ''very extensive'' reporting and she decided it should remain under wraps in case of ''any potential for a re-trial''.

Lord Dyson said the panel had taken a different view and had decided to allow the media organisations' appeal.

He said judges would outline the reasons behind their decision at a later date.

Butler has lodged an appeal against his murder conviction and sentence, appeal judges were told.