Grandparents of boy, 2, found guilty of his murder

Michael, 47, and Kerry Ives, 46, were convicted of the boy's murder and of cruelty to a child under 16 at Mold Crown Court.

Ethan's mother, Shannon Ives, 28, was also staying with her son at her parents' home.

She was found guilty of causing or allowing his death and of child cruelty.

Jurors were shown CCTV from the family home during the trial where Michael was seen carrying his grandson by the top of his arm and appearing to punch him after putting him into a car seat.

The court heard the boy had been placed on the child protection register, which required him to be seen every 10 days.

But, when a social worker came to the house on August 5, 2021, Shannon spoke to him on the doorstep and said Ethan was having a nap.

Social worker Michael Cornish visited in the days before Ethan's death, however, no one answered the door.

A scheduled appointment for September 13 with a health visitor was cancelled.

Shannon was said to have fled domestic violence in June that year with Michael telling the jury his daughter was "quick tempered" and would slap Ethan multiple times a day.

Shannon claimed her parents were "horrible" and abused her child.

Jurors heard Ethan would be punished and made to stand with his hands on his head when he misbehaved.

The footage from August 4 of Michael carrying his grandson was described by prosecutor Caroline Rees KC as though "Ethan was just a bag of rubbish to be slung out".

The video was taken from the family's back garden and showed Ethan appearing unsteady on a trampoline, or lying down, while other children jumped.

Michael was seen pointing a garden hose at him, placed the toddler's hands on his head before gesturing for another child to punch him.

Michael told a court, after watching the video, that he was "ashamed and admitted to being cruel and neglectful.

He, however, denied mistreating Ethan in other ways.

When doctors examined Ethan after his death, the boy was found to have abdominal injuries likely from blows in the days before he collapsed.

Other injuries sustained were bruises which were consistent with grip marks on his leg and face.

According to experts, Ethan would have died of dehydration within days had he not suffered the head injury, and at the time of his death, he weighed just 10kg.

The fatal head injury was said to have been caused by deliberate force or shaking and took place at the time, or in the minutes before the collapse.

Michael and Kerry were in the living room when the boy collapsed and his mother was on the phone upstairs.

The pair told the jury "nothing" had happened to the boy before he fainted.

Kerry said she immediately called her daughter to come downstairs, but it was 18 minutes before emergency services were called.

Justice Griffiths said the grandparents were expected to be given life sentences ahead of sentence on October 3.

The daughter is set to face a "substantial prison sentence".