00:00Ethan Ives Griffiths was just two years old in 2021, when he was murdered by the people
00:06closest to him.
00:07Remembered by his father as a smiley, outgoing, loving child, his grandmother and grandfather
00:11have been convicted of his murder, with his mother also found to be complicit.
00:16His grandparents, Michael and Kerry Ives, have been found guilty of his murder.
00:19His mother, Sharon Ives, has been convicted of causing or allowing his death, and of child
00:24cruelty.
00:25Ethan died in August 2021 after collapsing at the family home in Garden City in Flintshire.
00:31When he was taken to hospital, he was dangerously dehydrated, severely underweight and had more
00:35than 40 visible bruises and marks.
00:37The doctor said he had been so neglected that even without the fatal injury, he may have
00:42died within days.
00:44The jury heard medical evidence that Ethan's fatal head injury was caused by deliberate
00:48force or shaking and occurred at the time or in the minutes before he collapsed.
00:53For a five week trial at Moldcrown Court, jurors were shown distressing CCTV footage from the
00:58family's home.
00:59In one clip, Michael Ives carried Ethan by one arm, in another he appeared to punch the
01:04toddler while putting him in a car seat.
01:06Other videos showed Ethan being targeted, hosed down and forced to stand with his hands on
01:10his head as a punishment.
01:13Questions will now be raised of how this was allowed to happen.
01:15Ethan was on the child protection register, meant to be seen every 10 days.
01:19A social worker was turned away in the days before his death, and a health visit was cancelled
01:23the day before he collapsed.
01:25No one intervened.
01:26A multi-agency review is now underway to examine how the system failed to protect Ethan, but
01:31it may not report until 2026.
01:34The judge said this was an unusually distressing case and told jurors they'll never have to
01:38serve again if they don't wish to.
01:39The three defendants will be sentenced in October.
01:42James P. Watkins reporting for local TV.
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