Two-year-old Ethan Ives-Griffiths was murdered by his grandparents at home in Flintshire in August 2021
Both are given life sentences, with Michael Ives being told he must serve at least 23 years and Kerry Ives given a minimum term of 17 years
The couple starved and abused Ethan, leaving him "emaciated and covered in bruises"
Michael struck the fatal blow while his wife smiled, something described in court as "an act that would horrify any independent bystander"
Ethan's mum Shannon Ives, who was convicted of causing or allowing her son's death and child cruelty, is given a 12-year term
Speaking after the trio were jailed, Ethan's dad Will Griffiths says: "I can't describe the pain and anguish I have felt since losing him"
Ethan's paternal grandmother says Michael and Kerry Ives ran their home "like a cult"
WARNING: This live page contains details some people may find distressing
Grandparents who killed boy, 2, ran home 'like a cult'
George Herd reporting from Mold Crown Court
Reporter
The sentencing of Michael, Kerry and Shannon Ives is getting under way.
All three have been brought into the dock at Court Two in Mold, presided over by Mr Justice Martin Griffiths.
"I would never kill my child. It's something I would never do."
This is what Shannon Ives said in police interview, with the transcript read to the jury during her trial.
She added that her mother and father, Kerry and Michael Ives, "were being controlling", adding: "My mum and dad were the only ones downstairs with him when it happened."
George Herd reporting from Mold Crown Court
Reporter
The family of the murdered toddler are still waiting for proceedings at Mold Crown Court to get under way, following a delay this morning.
The sentencing is still expected to start this morning, but will almost certainly not be finished before lunch. Those waiting patiently are relaxed about the delay - they say they have already waited four years to see those responsible held to account.
WARNING: This post contains distressing content
The little boy Michael and Kerry Ives murdered was remembered by his paternal grandmother, Kellie Shone, as the "one that smiled the most".
His mother Shannon Ives told the court he was "a bubbly little child" and "chubby" when she moved in with her parents, towards the end of June 2021, after she had a domestic dispute with Ethan's father, Will Griffiths.
By the time Ethan was taken to hospital on the night of 14 August, he was painfully thin.
Doctors discovered he was covered in bruises and injury marks - 40 in total - as well as being dangerously dehydrated, with cracked, dry lips.
When Ms Shone last saw Ethan he was unconscious and covered in bruises
"I saw fingerprints, hand marks, all the bruises - just on a little boy.
"Why Ethan, why him?
"The one that smiled the most - why him?"
Image source, PA MediaEthan Ives-Griffiths was murdered by his grandparents at their home in Garden City, Flintshire, while he was on the child protection register.
Their trial heard how social workers were not always able to gain entry to the home to check on Ethan.
His mother, Shannon Ives, who was convicted of causing or allowing his death, and child cruelty, cancelled a health visit from child protection staff in the weeks before the two-year-old suffered a fatal brain injury.
"He should've been checked on every 10 working days. But that didn't happen, and that's where he was failed," said Ethan's aunt Becky Shone
Flintshire council said it was co-operating with an independent child practice review by the North Wales Safeguarding Board.
Image source, PA Media
The family of Ethan have gathered at court for a sentencing that was due to begin at 10:30 BST.
It is delayed and we'll keep you up to date about timings.
WARNING: This video content contains distressing detail
Dad Will Griffiths said he did not recognise his son in the hospital bed, as the two-year-old was so thin and covered in bruises.
"It was a sight of horror," he added.
Mr Griffiths said he was glad someone who loved him was holding him in his last moments.
George Herd reporting from Mold Crown Court
Reporter
Family members here in court say it is a relief today has arrived.
They have waited for four years to see those responsible for Ethan’s death finally brought to justice.
The defendants have begun to arrive at Mold Crown Court.
Grandparents Michael Ives, 47, and Kerry Ives, 46, were found guilty of killing Ethan at their home in Garden City, Flintshire, in August 2021.
Ethan's mother, Shannon Ives, 28, was found guilty of causing or allowing her son's death, and child cruelty.
They are all due to be sentenced.
When the horrors surrounding the murder of toddler Ethan came to light, details of the violent household he lived in did not surprise everyone.
Ethan's paternal grandmother, Kellie Shone, believes something sinister had been building for years, describing the home as "like a cult", where Michael Ives would threaten to kill his children and grandchildren to control them through fear.
"I've seen messages, where he's messaged Shannon saying he was going to run her over and her kid - the eldest," said Ms Shone, referring to Michael Ives.
"When she fell pregnant with the next child, he was going to kick it out of her stomach - words out of his mouth that he has texted his own daughter."
This was the environment Ms Shone believes Ethan was entering when he went to live with his maternal grandparents for seven weeks after his mother split from his father, Will Griffiths.
She added: "There's so many questions I just want to ask them, starting with why? Why Ethan, why him?
"The one that smiled the most - why him?"
WARNING: This video content contains distressing detail
Bodycam footage from police shows Michael and Kerry Ives speaking to officers at their home.
During the trial in June and July, Shannon Ives described her parents as "horrible", when she was growing up.
"We would get punched, kicked and have the belt used on us," she said.
Further evidence of violence in the Ives household emerged in text messages read to the court, in which the couple were branded "child beaters" by their own son.
In one message, Kerry Ives told her adult son: "I don't know why you keep saying he's a bad dad, because he ain't."
The son replied: "He needs help for the way he's treated all us kids."
George Herd reporting from Mold Crown Court
Large numbers of Ethan's family have begun gathering for the sentencing at Mold Crown Court, many wearing t-shirts with the slogan "Justice for Ethan".
Image source, North Wales PoliceEthan's mother Shannon Ives was found guilty of causing or allowing the death of a child, along with another charge of child cruelty.
Because the main offence happened before June 2022, it attracts a maximum jail term of 14 years.
Sentencing guidelines have since changed - a similar act now of allowing a child to die can carry a life sentence.
The rules set out two conditions on reaching a prison term, with the highest met if a child dies.
It must then be decided to what degree Shannon Ives is responsible for her son's death, known as culpability.
The higher the culpability, the longer the sentence that can be imposed by the judge, up to the maximum term allowed.
The offence of child cruelty also attracts a maximum sentence of 10 years, and like the other conviction, both the category of harm and culpability dictate the length of the custodial sentence.
Finally, a decision must be taken as to whether the sentences for the offences run together, known as a concurrent sentence, or will be added together - a consecutive sentence.
WARNING: This post contains distressing content
This is the moment a woman convicted of murdering her grandson called 999 to say he had collapsed while watching television.
Ethan Ives-Griffiths, two, died on 16 August 2021 after suffering a "catastrophic" head injury at his grandparents' home in Garden City, Flintshire.
Ethan's grandfather Michael Ives, 47, and grandmother Kerry Ives, 46, were both found guilty of murder after a trial at Mold Crown Court.
During the call, Kerry Ives can be heard saying Ethan was "gasping for air" and would not wake up.
Image source, North Wales PoliceBoth Michael and Kerry Ives were convicted of murder and child cruelty.
Murder carries a mandatory life custodial sentence, but courts must then set out a minimum sentence that must be served before those convicted can be considered for release on licence.
The ranges of what must be served is set out in legislation, external and can be anywhere between 15 years and 30 years.
In extreme cases, a judge can impose a whole-life tariff, which means an individual will never be released from prison. However, there are only about 70 whole-life prisoners in the UK, including Rosemary West, Levi Bellfield and the nurse Lucy Letby.
Once a minimum sentence has been served, a prisoner can request a parole hearing for release, but the decision rests with the parole board, who can refuse release.
Anyone handed a life sentence is subject to being recalled to prison at any time, for the rest of their life, if they breach any terms of their release granted by a parole board.
Brendon Williams reporting from Mold Crown Court
This is a case I’ll never forget.
As a journalist you see and hear things you don’t want to. Sometimes you can park them, leave them at the office. This one comes home with you.
I’ve spoken to colleagues who feel the same way.
It’s the first time I’ve seen abuse played out in front of my own eyes, and there’s one image of Ethan I can’t erase.
But it’s part of a job I choose to do, and it’s nothing compared to what police and prosecutors endured, watching those images repeatedly. Or the relatives that loved him, who had to sit through the trial.
I interviewed Ethan’s father, Will, for a documentary. He said he wanted his son to have a voice, and hopefully we’ve done that.
He told me that as a baby Ethan was so strong, they called him Little Man.
I hope you can rest in peace, Little Man.
WARNING: This post contains distressing content
The trial heard that Ethan was made to stand with his hands on his head as a punishment when he misbehaved.
CCTV footage from 4 August showed Michael Ives carrying his grandson by the top of his arm in a way which prosecutor Caroline Rees described as if "Ethan was just a bag of rubbish to be slung out".
During a six-week trial, the jury heard a 13-minute 999 call made by Kerry Ives to the ambulance service on the evening of 14 August, saying Ethan had collapsed while watching television.
The jury was also shown footage from CCTV installed in the Ives' garden which showed Ethan apparently struggling for balance while other children bounced around him.
In several clips, he was seen lying on his side and, despite getting to his feet, was seen falling repeatedly.
Michael Ives appeared to make a gesture with his closed hand to an older child who then seemed to strike Ethan several times on his head.
At one point, his mother Shannon Ives climbed on the trampoline and bounced, causing Ethan to fall.
Consultant paediatric neurosurgeon Dr Jayaratnam Jayamohan was asked to investigate Ethan's brain injury following his death, and said there was evidence Ethan had suffered "repeated assaults... over a prolonged period of time".
Image source, Family PhotoEthan went to live with his grandparents towards the end of June 2021 after a domestic dispute which saw Shannon Ives separate from her son's father, Will Griffiths.
A few weeks later, she moved in with her parents at their home on Kingsley Road in Garden City, Flintshire.
Kerry Ives told the trial that Ethan was a "a bubbly little child" and "chubby" when he arrived in their home, but that all changed over the next two months.
By the time Ethan was taken to hospital on the night of 14 August, he was painfully thin.
Doctors discovered he was covered in bruises and injury marks - 40 in total - as well as being thin, malnourished, and with a severe brain injury.
There was nothing more the medical team could do to save him so, two days later on 16 August 2021, his life-support machine was turned off.
It would be nearly four years before what happened to Ethan was finally revealed in what senior detectives described as one of the most difficult investigations they had ever faced.