This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . The next check for changes will be
You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c7vr9z4ejego
The article has changed 8 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 2 | Version 3 |
|---|---|
| Grandparents guilty of murdering toddler Ethan Ives-Griffiths | Grandparents guilty of murdering toddler Ethan Ives-Griffiths |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Ethan Ives-Griffiths' grandparents Michael and Kerry Ives have been found guilty of murdering him | Ethan Ives-Griffiths' grandparents Michael and Kerry Ives have been found guilty of murdering him |
| A grandfather and grandmother have been found guilty of murdering their two-year-old grandson. | 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. | |
| Ethan's grandfather Michael Ives, 47, and grandmother Kerry Ives, 46, were both convicted of murder after a trial at Mold Crown Court. | Ethan's grandfather Michael Ives, 47, and grandmother Kerry Ives, 46, were both convicted of murder after a trial at Mold Crown Court. |
| Ethan's mother Shannon Ives, 28, from Mold, was also found guilty of causing or allowing the death of a child and cruelty to a child. | Ethan's 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 were told to expect life sentences for murdering their grandson | Michael and Kerry Ives were told to expect life sentences for murdering their grandson |
| Michael and Kerry Ives have also been found guilty of 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 trio will all be sentenced on 3 October. |
| 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. | 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". | 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. | 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". | 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. | "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." | "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." |
| 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 parents. | |
| During a seven-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. | During a seven-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 he's asleep". The call ended when paramedics arrived at the house. | Michael Ives is heard saying "he looks like he's asleep". The call ended when paramedics arrived at the house. |
| Ethan was then taken to Alder Hey Children's Hospital in Liverpool, where "multiple areas of bruises" were noted on his body. | Ethan was then taken to Alder Hey Children's Hospital in Liverpool, where "multiple areas of bruises" were noted on his body. |
| Ethan was pronounced dead on 16 August. | 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. | 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. | 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. | At one point, his mother Shannon climbed on the trampoline and bounced, causing Ethan to fall. |
| Shannon Ives was staying with her son Ethan at her parents' home in Garden City when he was murdered | Shannon Ives was staying with her son Ethan at her parents' home in Garden City when he was murdered |
| The court heard Ethan had been placed on the child protection register, requiring him to be seen every 10 days. | 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 Ethan's death, and a scheduled appointment with a health visitor on 13 August was cancelled. | No-one answered the door when social worker Michael Cornish went to visit in the days before Ethan's 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. | 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. | 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. | 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". |