Latest news with #Flintshire
The Independent
a day ago
- The Independent
Couple accused of grandson's murder punched their children, court hears
A couple charged with the murder of their two-year-old grandson punched their children when they were growing up, their son has told a court. Kerry Ives, 46, and Michael Ives, 47, are accused of killing toddler Ethan Ives-Griffiths, who collapsed at their home in Garden City, Deeside, Flintshire, on August 14 2021 and died in hospital two days later. A trial at Mold Crown Court has heard Ethan, who was living at the home with his mother, Shannon Ives, suffered 'catastrophic head injuries' and was severely underweight when he died. Giving evidence on Thursday, the Ives' son, Josh Ives, said physical discipline had been used by his parents when he and Shannon were growing up. He told the court they would punch his legs and arms. Caroline Rees KC, prosecuting, asked: 'How often would you be punched by your parents?' Mr Ives replied: 'Not that often, once a week.' He said on rare occasions they used a belt to hit him. He also said his parents would squeeze his wrist or slap him on the back of the head. He added: 'For a kid it would hurt but I wouldn't say it was excessive.' Mr Ives said the use of physical force stopped when he was between 10 and 12. He said he moved out of the family home in May 2021, when he was about 23, following an argument about his girlfriend and dog living there. He told the court following Ethan's death he had kept away from his family, adding: 'I'm not speaking to any of them.' Josh Ives' partner Jessica Weaver told the court Shannon had spoken to her about how her father would discipline Ethan. 'She said that Mike would make Ethan stand with his legs apart, his feet shoulder-width apart with his hands on his head,' she told the court. She said the punishment happened at about 5am. Ms Weaver added: 'He had stated that Ethan had kept him up all night so he was going to do the same to Ethan.' Earlier in the day, the court heard from Aaron Moss, partner of Kerry and Michael Ives' daughter, Rachel. Mr Moss said Ethan and his mother had stayed with them in 2021 before moving to her parents' house. He told the jury he would hear Ethan 'whinging, like babies do' from the next room. Asked how Shannon Ives would react to her son, he said: 'She used to tell him to shut up and go back to bed.' He also described hearing a 'thud' from the room on one occasion which he said sounded like she had 'forcefully put Ethan back in his cot'. On the evening of August 14, he said he went to the Ives' home after he was told Ethan was being taken to hospital and saw the toddler lying on the floor 'not moving, not breathing, eyes closed'. Asked if he could remember anything about what Shannon was doing, he said: 'I can remember her asking for a filter for a cigarette. 'She was alright, she was normal.' Michael and Kerry Ives, of Kingsley Road, Garden City, deny murder, an alternative count of causing or allowing the death of a child and cruelty to a person under 16. Shannon Ives, of Nant Garmon, Mold, denies causing or allowing the death of a child and cruelty to a person under 16.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Couple accused of grandson's murder punched their children, court hears
A couple charged with the murder of their two-year-old grandson punched their children when they were growing up, their son has told a court. Kerry Ives, 46, and Michael Ives, 47, are accused of killing toddler Ethan Ives-Griffiths, who collapsed at their home in Garden City, Deeside, Flintshire, on August 14 2021 and died in hospital two days later. A trial at Mold Crown Court has heard Ethan, who was living at the home with his mother, Shannon Ives, suffered 'catastrophic head injuries' and was severely underweight when he died. Giving evidence on Thursday, the Ives' son, Josh Ives, said physical discipline had been used by his parents when he and Shannon were growing up. He told the court they would punch his legs and arms. Caroline Rees KC, prosecuting, asked: 'How often would you be punched by your parents?' Mr Ives replied: 'Not that often, once a week.' He said on rare occasions they used a belt to hit him. He also said his parents would squeeze his wrist or slap him on the back of the head. He added: 'For a kid it would hurt but I wouldn't say it was excessive.' Mr Ives said the use of physical force stopped when he was between 10 and 12. He said he moved out of the family home in May 2021, when he was about 23, following an argument about his girlfriend and dog living there. He told the court following Ethan's death he had kept away from his family, adding: 'I'm not speaking to any of them.' Josh Ives' partner Jessica Weaver told the court Shannon had spoken to her about how her father would discipline Ethan. 'She said that Mike would make Ethan stand with his legs apart, his feet shoulder-width apart with his hands on his head,' she told the court. She said the punishment happened at about 5am. Ms Weaver added: 'He had stated that Ethan had kept him up all night so he was going to do the same to Ethan.' Earlier in the day, the court heard from Aaron Moss, partner of Kerry and Michael Ives' daughter, Rachel. Mr Moss said Ethan and his mother had stayed with them in 2021 before moving to her parents' house. He told the jury he would hear Ethan 'whinging, like babies do' from the next room. Asked how Shannon Ives would react to her son, he said: 'She used to tell him to shut up and go back to bed.' He also described hearing a 'thud' from the room on one occasion which he said sounded like she had 'forcefully put Ethan back in his cot'. On the evening of August 14, he said he went to the Ives' home after he was told Ethan was being taken to hospital and saw the toddler lying on the floor 'not moving, not breathing, eyes closed'. Asked if he could remember anything about what Shannon was doing, he said: 'I can remember her asking for a filter for a cigarette. 'She was alright, she was normal.' Michael and Kerry Ives, of Kingsley Road, Garden City, deny murder, an alternative count of causing or allowing the death of a child and cruelty to a person under 16. Shannon Ives, of Nant Garmon, Mold, denies causing or allowing the death of a child and cruelty to a person under 16.
BBC News
a day ago
- BBC News
Garden City grandparents accused of toddler murder punched son
The son of a couple accused of murdering their two-year-old grandson said he was was slapped and punched by his parents. Ethan Ives-Griffiths, died from a catastrophic head injury in August toddler's grandparents, Michael Ives, 47, and Kerry Ives, 46, both of Garden City in Flintshire, are charged with murder, causing or allowing the death of a child, and cruelty to a mother, Shannon Ives, 28, of Mold, Flintshire, is charged with causing or allowing the death of a child, and cruelty to a child. All three deny the charges. When prosecutor Caroline Rees asked Josh Ives, son of Michael and Kerry Ives, if physical discipline was ever used, he replied "yeah". When asked if it was his mum or dad, he replied "both".He said they would "squeeze your wrist…. slap on the back of the head"."It could be a slap on the leg, a slap on the bum," he Ives said for a child, it could hurt but would not say it was "excessive". Asked if anything other than squeezing or slapping took place, he said: "Punches now and then", but not often. "It would be to the legs or the arm," he added, saying that he and his three sisters, including Shannon Ives, were Ives said that the punches occurred once a week and said that they had used a belt, but it was said he could not remember which parent used the belt and it "was just on the bum from what I remember".Asked how often the belt was used, he said: "Probably once or twice the whole time."The physical discipline stopped when he was aged between 10 and 12, and he started confronting them and telling them to moved out of the Ives' home several months before Ethan died in trial continues.
TTG
2 days ago
- Business
- TTG
'Word is travelling fast!': Friends unite to bring travel back to their high street and continue town's revival
Jeff Ford-Foyne has been a children's entertainer for nearly three decades, but it was while working as a taxi driver he started thinking about opening a travel agency in the Flintshire town of Shotton. He is one of four directors of Dee Travel, the others being his wife Steffannie and their friends Debbie and Allen Owen – who is currently refurbishing the shop with a view to opening in August. Ford-Foyne told TTG he has already confirmed the agency's branding, business cards and letter heads, and is currently finalising Dee's uniforms. 'I've wanted to sell travel for a long time, probably since I started doing transfers to and from Manchester airport about three years,' he explained. 'I'm hungry for it. I kept thinking, 'there must be some good money to be made in this'. I've got the gift of the gab.' The team behind Dee Travel, which is already trading online, have also taken over a greetings card shop across the road from the proposed travel agency branch. Each director holds an equal share in the two shops. Ford-Foyce said Shotton Cards used to operate as Owen's Travel around 15 years ago – the last time the town had an agency. 'I originally wanted to check out the card shop because I knew it was up for grabs,' he explained. 'Debbie and Allen have taken over the running of the card shop – and now suddenly the card shop is making money. Shotton was going downhill, but we've just had a Post Office and a Lidl open." Ford-Foyne said Dee Travel will primarily sell packages using Protected Trust Services' Atol. 'Word is travelling fast,' he said. '[Three-branch agency] Buckley Travel have sent a nice message, and people in Llandudno – around a 45-minute drive away – are aware a new travel agency is opening up in Shotton. "We've known Debbie and Allen for 10 years since we moved to the area. We've done quite a lot with them – myself, Debbie and Allen were all school governors.'
The Independent
2 days ago
- The Independent
Social worker told toddler was asleep on visit in weeks before death, court hears
A social worker who tried to see a toddler in the weeks before he was allegedly murdered by his grandparents was told the child was having a nap, a court has heard. Two-year-old Ethan Ives-Griffiths died in hospital on August 16 2021, two days after an ambulance was called to the North Wales home of his grandparents Kerry Ives, 46, and Michael Ives, 47, where he was living along with his mother Shannon Ives, 28. A trial at Mold Crown Court has heard Ethan suffered 'catastrophic head injuries' and was severely underweight when he died. Social worker Michael Cornish, from Flintshire County Council, said he first visited Shannon Ives on July 22 2021 at her parents' home in Garden City in Deeside, Flintshire. The court heard the mother moved back in with her parents after she 'fled' her home in Mold due to domestic violence. Mr Cornish said Ethan was on the child protection register, which meant he had to be seen every 10 days. He said on his first visit he saw Ethan in the back garden of the property and described him as 'a small two-year-old boy who was quite shy'. He said Michael Ives, who stood with his daughter as he spoke to her, said words to the effect of: 'He's the quiet one, he doesn't say anything.' Mr Cornish told the court he contacted Shannon Ives to arrange another visit on August 5 but, following a conversation about isolating due to Covid, he only saw her on the doorstep and was told Ethan and one of his siblings were 'having a nap'. The court heard his visit lasted almost 45 minutes. Mr Cornish said: 'During the visit I asked to see the children again but they were still asleep.' He said it was either Shannon Ives or her mother Kerry Ives who told him Ethan was asleep. He added: 'This was a time when it was Covid. 'It was very difficult, we had to be very careful with entering properties. 'For whatever reason I accepted those children were still asleep.' On August 12 he said he arranged with health visitor Ellie Jones to go to the house for another visit but there was no answer at the door. He tried to phone Shannon Ives the following day but there was no answer, the court heard. Mr Cornish said he then went on leave, but emailed his manager to provide an update on the case and to say somebody needed to see the children. Michael and Kerry Ives, of Kingsley Road, Garden City, deny murder, an alternative count of causing or allowing the death of a child and cruelty to a person under 16. Shannon Ives, of Nant Garmon, Mold, denies causing or allowing the death of a child and cruelty to a person under 16. The trial will continue on Thursday.
