A couple have been found guilty of murdering their two-year-old grandson who suffered catastrophic injuries at their home in North Wales. Ethan Ives-Griffiths was dangerously dehydrated and severely underweight when he collapsed with a fatal head injury on 14 August 2021.
Michael Ives, 47, and Kerry Ives, 46, were convicted of murder and child cruelty at Mold Crown Court following a five-and-a-half week trial. The toddler had 40 visible bruises or marks on his body when he died at their home in Garden City, Flintshire.
Mother found guilty of allowing death
Ethan's mother Shannon Ives, 28, was found guilty of causing or allowing his death and child cruelty. She had been staying at her parents' home with her son when the court heard he was "targeted for abuse and subjected to casual cruelty".
Jurors were visibly upset during the trial as CCTV footage from the family home was played in court. The video showed Michael Ives carrying his grandson by the top of his arm and appearing to punch him after putting him into a car seat.
Social services missed warning signs
Ethan had been placed on the child protection register, requiring him to be seen every 10 days by social workers. However, when Shannon Ives last saw her social worker on 5 August, she spoke to him on the doorstep and claimed Ethan was having a nap.
No-one answered the door when social worker Michael Cornish attempted visits in the days before Ethan's death. A scheduled appointment with a health visitor on 13 August was also cancelled.
Family accused each other of abuse
Shannon Ives had fled domestic violence from her home in Mold in June 2021, the jury was told. Her parents accused her of hitting her son, with Michael Ives telling the court his daughter was "quick-tempered" and would slap Ethan a couple of times a day.
However, Shannon Ives told the court her parents were "horrible" and had abused her as a child. The court heard Ethan was made to stand with his hands on his head as punishment when he misbehaved.
CCTV revealed systematic cruelty
CCTV footage from 4 August showed Michael Ives carrying his grandson "as though Ethan was just a bag of rubbish to be slung out", according to prosecutor Caroline Rees KC. The video showed Ethan appearing unsteady on a trampoline while other children bounced around him.
The footage also appeared to show Michael Ives pointing a garden hose at the toddler, placing his hands on his head and gesturing to another child to punch Ethan. After watching the video in court, Michael Ives said he felt "ashamed" and admitted being cruel and neglectful.
Cameras showed child's final days
The cameras did not show Ethan leaving the house after 4 August until 12 August, when Michael Ives was again seen carrying him by the upper arm. When Ethan was examined after his death, doctors found abdominal injuries likely caused by blows in the days before his collapse.
Other injuries included bruises consistent with grip marks on his leg and face. Experts said Ethan would have died of dehydration within days had he not suffered the head injury, and at the time of his death weighed just 10kg.
Fatal injury occurred during collapse
Medical evidence showed Ethan's fatal head injury was caused by deliberate force or shaking and occurred at the time, or minutes before, he collapsed on the evening of Saturday 14 August 2021. Michael and Kerry Ives were in the living room with Ethan when he collapsed while his mother was on the phone upstairs.
Both grandparents told the jury "nothing" had happened to the toddler before he fainted as they watched television. Kerry Ives said she immediately called Shannon Ives to come downstairs, but the court heard it was 18 minutes before she called emergency services.
Ethan was taken to the Countess of Chester Hospital and later transferred to Alder Hey Children's Hospital in Liverpool, where he died two days later. Michael and Kerry Ives, originally from Wolverhampton, now face sentencing for their crimes.
(PA) Note: This article has been edited with the help of Artificial Intelligence.
