**Grandmother on Trial Denies Assaulting Toddler Grandson amid Emotional Court Testimony**
A trial at Mold Crown Court has heard dramatic evidence from Kerry Ives, a Flintshire grandmother accused of murdering her two-year-old grandson, Ethan Ives-Griffiths. Ives, aged 46, firmly denied ever assaulting the toddler as she took the witness stand, visibly emotional as the proceedings unfolded.
Ethan, described by his grandmother as a “bubbly little child”, was fatally injured at the family home in Garden City, Deeside, on the evening of 14 August 2021. He died in hospital two days later from what has been characterised by the prosecution as a “catastrophic” head injury. Both Kerry Ives and her husband, Michael Ives, 47, stand accused not only of murder but, in the alternative, of causing or allowing the death of a child and child cruelty. The precise circumstances around the fatal incident remain at the heart of the ongoing trial.
During her testimony, Mrs Ives was questioned directly by her barrister, Owen Edwards KC, about whether she had assaulted Ethan on the evening in question. “No,” she responded, insisting she did not witness, assist with, nor encourage any assault on the child that day. At several points in her evidence, Mrs Ives wiped away tears, reiterating her position that she had not harmed her grandson.
The court was told that Ethan had moved in with Kerry and Michael Ives in late June 2021, initially for a few weeks’ stay, before returning with his mother, Shannon Ives, in July. Both Shannon and Ethan remained at the property until the boy’s death in August. The grandmother recounted how her relationship with Ethan was affectionate, though she claimed Shannon sometimes lost her temper with the child, notably recounting incidents where Ethan was smacked on the head for trivial reasons such as laughing when being told off.
On the day Ethan sustained his injuries, Mrs Ives recalled noticing a red mark on his face after he had spent time alone in the bedroom with Shannon. However, she insisted that she did not witness any physical violence against Ethan that day. When confronted with a previous defence statement where she had claimed to see Shannon strike the boy on the head, Mrs Ives acknowledged being reminded of that account but did not elaborate further in court.
Crucially, the prosecution drew attention to an 18-minute delay between Mrs Ives raising an alarm and her decision to telephone the emergency services. Within that window, she made a FaceTime video call to her other daughter, Nicole, seeking advice, explaining, “Nicole had gone through something similar with her son. I just needed advice for what to do.”
The court also examined security footage from an earlier date, 4 August 2021, showing Michael Ives carrying Ethan by his arm in a manner the grandmother admitted looked “cruel”. She accepted she had seen her husband lift Ethan over a railing in later footage but maintained she was not protecting him. “I regret how Michael treated Ethan,” she acknowledged in cross-examination. However, she could not explain why this admission had not been disclosed to the jury earlier.
Both Kerry and Michael Ives deny all charges, including murder and child cruelty. Shannon Ives, the child’s mother, also faces accusations of causing or allowing her son’s death and cruelty but has pleaded not guilty. The defendants’ lives and relationships have come under intense scrutiny, with CCTV evidence, witness statements, and timelines being centerpieces of the prosecution and defence arguments.
As the trial continues, the panel will have to assess not only the grim reality of a young boy’s fatal injuries but the tangled testimonies and evidence surrounding the events that unfolded in those crucial moments. The case continues, with the outcome still hanging in the balance and the circumstances of Ethan’s tragic death yet to be fully established or understood in a court of law.
For further updates on this developing story, readers are encouraged to follow the latest from Mold Crown Court as the trial progresses.