Grandparents guilty of murdering toddler

A grandfather and grandmother have been found guilty of murdering their two-year-old grandson.

Ethan Ives-Griffiths, two, died on 16 August 2021 after suffering a "catastrophic" head injury at his grandparents home in Garden City, Flintshire.

Ethans grandfather Michael Ives, 47, and grandmother Kerry Ives, 46, were both convicted of murder after a trial at Mold Crown Court.

Ethans mother Shannon Ives, 28, from Mold, was also found guilty of causing or allowing the death of a child and cruelty to a child.

Michael and Kerry Ives have also been found guilty of cruelty to a child.

The trio will all be sentenced on 3 October.

The jury deliberated for six hours and 54 minutes before returning their verdicts on Tuesday morning.

The judge told them that because of the "unusually distressing" subject matter in the trial, they could be exempt from jury service for the rest of their lives if they wished.

The court heard Ethan was dangerously dehydrated and severely underweight, with 40 visible bruises or marks, when he collapsed with a catastrophic head injury at his grandparents home on the evening of 14 August 2021.

Shannon Ives had been staying with her son at her parents home in Garden City when the court heard he was "targeted for abuse and subjected to casual cruelty".

As the verdicts were announced, Shannon and Kerry Ives stared ahead while Michael Ives rested his head on his left hand while staring in front of him.

Speaking to Michael and Kerry Ives, Judge Mr Justice Griffiths said there was only "one sentence for murder and that is life imprisonment".

"I have to consider the minimum term you must serve before you can be considered for release on licence, which is likely to be many years from now," he said.

"In the case of Shannon Ives, a substantial prison sentence is almost certain, and the sentence is very unlikely to be anything other than immediate custody."

Speaking outside of court, Ethans father Will Griffiths, said his time with Ethan "was precious" and he thanked his family for the "love and support" they have shown throughout the trial.

He added that Ethan will be "remembered for the smiley, outgoing, loving child that he was".

"He can now rest in peace, knowing that justice has been served," he said.

Det Supt Chris Bell of North Wales Police said the trio held positions of responsibility and should have shown Ethan love, care and protection.

"Instead, Michael caused distress, pain and misery to his grandson before brutally taking his life nearly four years ago in August 2021," he said.

"Kerry and Shannon both watched and took no action as the abuse unfolded in the home they all shared."

Mr Bell said their behaviour was "beyond comprehension" and it was "impossible to imagine the terror" Ethan would have felt in suffering the horrific injuries he endured in the seven-week period he lived with his grandparents.

A Flintshire County Council spokeswoman said it would cooperate with an independent child practice review by the North Wales Safeguarding Board, who were leading a multi-agency review of the case.

A spokesperson for the board said the review was likely to be completed by the start of 2026 at the earliest.

It aims to examine the involvement of agencies and identify what lessons can be learnt.

During a six-week trial, the jury heard a 13-minute 999 call made by Kerry Ives to the ambulance service on the evening of 14 August, saying Ethan had collapsed while watching television.

Michael Ives is heard saying "he looks like hes asleep". The call ended when paramedics arrived at the house.

Ethan was then taken to Alder Hey Childrens Hospital in Liverpool, where "multiple areas of bruises" were noted on his body.

Ethan was pronounced dead on 16 August.

The jury was also shown CCTV installed in the Ives garden which showed Ethan apparently struggling for balance while other children bounced around him.

In several clips, he was seen lying on his side and, despite getting to his feet, was seen falling repeatedly.

At one point, his mother Shannon climbed on the trampoline and bounced, causing Ethan to fall.

The court heard Ethan had been placed on the child protection register, requiring him to be seen every 10 days.

A return visit was booked for 5 August, but the social worker was turned away on the doorstep and told the household was isolating due to Covid, and Ethan was asleep.

No-one answered the door when social worker Michael Cornish went to visit in the days before Ethans death, and a scheduled appointment with a health visitor on 13 August was cancelled.

Michael and Kerry Ives, originally from Wolverhampton, accused their daughter of hitting Ethan, with Michael Ives telling the jury his daughter was "quick-tempered" and would slap Ethan a couple of times a day.

But Shannon Ives told the court her parents were "horrible" and abused her as a child.

The court heard Ethan was made to stand with his hands on his head as a punishment when he misbehaved.

CCTV footage from 4 August showed Michael Ives carrying his grandson by the top of his arm in a way which Caroline Rees KC, prosecuting, described as "as though Ethan was just a bag of rubbish to be slung out".