A mother accused of allowing her two-year-old son's death has told a court her parents were "horrible" during her childhood. Shannon Ives described years of alleged abuse at the hands of Michael and Kerry Ives, who are charged with murdering her son Ethan.
The 28-year-old gave evidence at Mold Crown Court on Friday in the trial concerning Ethan Ives-Griffiths' death in August 2021. The toddler suffered a fatal head injury while staying with his grandparents in Garden City, Flintshire.
Childhood abuse allegations
Shannon Ives told the jury her parents prevented her from "going out, having a normal life" and didn't allow her many friends. She described physical violence against her and her siblings, saying: "We would get punched, kicked. We would get a belt used on us."
The court heard she left home at 16 after telling a college counsellor her father was being abusive and calling her a slag. She later returned home after splitting from a partner, sleeping on a mattress in the dining room.
Father's alleged behaviour
Michael Ives would kick her, call her names and tell her he didn't want her there as he walked past in the morning, she testified. On one occasion, her father dropped a box of locusts on her - insects he kept to feed his pet bearded dragons.
Shannon Ives and Ethan had been living in Mold with the boy's father Will Griffiths before moving out in June 2021. Police were called and Mr Griffiths was arrested, prompting them to stay with her sister in Garden City.
Mother's depression claims
"I'd just split up with Will so I was depressed," Shannon Ives told the court. She admitted shouting at Ethan but denied hitting him, apart from occasional taps to the hand or bottom.
She described her son as healthy before his death, saying: "Ethan was OK. He was playing with toys, he was talking, he was walking, he was doing everything." However, the jury heard Ethan was underweight and dehydrated with 40 visible injuries when he suffered his catastrophic head injury on 14 August 2021.
Trial details
The toddler died in hospital two days after sustaining his fatal injuries. Michael and Kerry Ives, of Kingsley Road, Garden City, deny murder, an alternative count of causing or allowing the death of a child, and cruelty to a person under 16.
Shannon Ives, of Rhes-y-Cae, near Holywell, denies causing or allowing the death of a child and cruelty to a person under 16. The trial continues at Mold Crown Court.
(PA) Note: This article has been edited with the help of Artificial Intelligence.
