Toddler Murder: Grandparents Charged | Court Update
In a shocking case unfolding at Mold Crown Court, Michael and Kerry Ives stand accused of murdering their grandson, Ethan Ives-Griffiths. The prosecution details the horrific abuse, revealing ethan was found with severe injuries and tragically underweight. Shannon Ives, Ethan’s mother, also faces charges related to the abuse of the toddler. The trial, expected to span six weeks, delves into the specifics of the fatal head injuries sustained by the child. News Directory 3 is closely following this developing story, bringing you the latest updates as the court hears evidence and testimony. How will the jury respond to the evidence presented? Discover what’s next in this heartbreaking case.
grandparents on Trial for Murder of Ethan Ives-Griffiths
Updated June 5, 2025
A trial is underway at Mold Crown court in North Wales, where Michael Ives, 46, and Kerry Ives, 45, face charges of murder, assault, and neglect in connection with the death of their two-year-old grandson, Ethan Ives-Griffiths.The prosecution alleges that ethan suffered fatal head injuries while in their care in August 2021.
Ethan was reportedly found at the grandparents’ Garden City home with severe bruising and was significantly underweight. He was rushed to Alder Hey hospital in Liverpool but succumbed to his injuries. Prosecutor Caroline Rees described Ethan as ”painfully thin and vulnerable” at the time of his death, adding that his life had been “thoroughly miserable.”
Shannon Ives, 27, Ethan’s mother, is also charged with causing or allowing a child to suffer serious physical harm. Rees stated that Shannon and Kerry Ives showed “vanishingly little care” and subjected ethan to ”casual brutality.”
The court heard that Ethan’s fatal head injuries resulted from a deliberate blow and forceful shaking. The prosecution contends that either Michael or Kerry Ives inflicted the fatal assault.The jury was told the fatal blow was inflicted soon before his collapse at the Ives’ family home in August 2021.
Michael Ives, 46, is accused of murder and neglect.
Kerry Ives, 45, faces the same charges.
Shannon Ives was reportedly upstairs on her phone when the fatal blow was inflicted.
Ethan was aged two and three months when he died from catastrophic head injuries on August, 16 2021 while in the care of grandparents Michael and Kerry Ives. He was painfully thin and vulnerable at the time he died.
The prosecution argues that Michael and Kerry Ives maintained a “pact of silence” to conceal the truth about Ethan’s death. Rees also noted Shannon’s apparent lack of concern for her son’s well-being, stating that all three defendants are to blame for Ethan’s ill-treatment, which left him “desperately underweight.”
The trial is expected to last six weeks.
what’s next
the trial is ongoing at Mold Crown Court and is anticipated to last six weeks as the court seeks to determine responsibility in the tragic death of Ethan Ives-Griffiths.