Overview

• A jury at Mold Crown Court convicted Michael and Kerry Ives of murder and cruelty to a child and found Shannon Ives guilty of causing or allowing her son’s death and child cruelty on July 15.
• Evidence showed two-year-old Ethan was dangerously dehydrated, underweight at just 10 kg and bore more than 40 bruises when he collapsed at his grandparents’ home in August 2021.
• CCTV footage captured Michael Ives carrying Ethan by the upper arm, appearing to punch him and directing others to strike the boy, and medical experts linked his fatal head injury to deliberate force or shaking immediately before collapse.
• Despite Ethan’s placement on the child protection register requiring checks every 10 days, a social worker’s visit on August 5 and a health visitor appointment on August 13, 2021, were not carried out.
• Sentencing is scheduled for October 3, when Michael and Kerry Ives face life sentences and Shannon Ives is expected to receive a substantial prison term.