Two men deny sex offences at Abergavenny children's centre
Mr Riddell has been charged with 38 offences, including three counts of indecent assault on a girl under the age of 16, and one count of attempting to indecently assault a girl under 16.He has also been charged with 14 counts of indecent assault on a boy under 14 and 20 counts of assault, ill-treat, neglect or abandoning a child or young person to cause unnecessary suffering or injury.Mr Griffiths, who now lives in Bideford, Devon, has been charged with seven counts of indecent assault on a boy under the age of 14 .The charges relate to 16 victims.Appearing at Newport Magistrates' Court on Thursday, the two men confirmed their names, dates of birth and addresses.
At the time the centre was the responsibility of the former Gwent County Council and has been closed since 1995.Det Ch Supt Andrew Tuck of Gwent Police previously urged the public to respect the judicial process and avoid online speculation on the case.
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BBC News
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Cryptocurrency: Police warning after £2.1m Bitcoin scam
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Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Two-year-old boy callously murdered by his grandparents would still be alive if his father had been allowed to see him, heartbroken family claims
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'Ethan was very happy, very cheerful all of the time,' Ms Shone told the Mail. 'His smile was gorgeous and his laugh would light up a room. And I like to think we had a lot to do with that.' But things took a turn for the worse for Ethan after a domestic dispute between his mother and father, Will Griffiths, led to their separation amid allegations of coercive behaviour. No charges were ever brought. Shannon then moved Ethan into her parents' home in June 2021, just two months before he was fatally injured. Ms Shone said: 'Will always said he shouldn't go there. They were not very nice people. 'We understood that these people were not very good to be around a child, but you don't sit there and think they will be the cause of his death. 'I believe that if Will had still been able to see his kids then Ethan would still be alive.' 'Painfully thin' and malnourished Ethan suffered a catastrophic head injury before he collapsed at home in Flintshire, North Wales, on August 14 2021, while his mother Shannon was upstairs on the phone. Distressing video footage recorded at the home before his death showed how Ethan's grandfather callously lifted him across the ground by one arm like 'a bag of rubbish' in the days before his death. Filmed just ten days before he would pass away on August 16, it showed him walking with a strange, knock-kneed gait and falling over, barely able to hold up his own head, as he was bounced on a trampoline by older children in the scruffy back garden of his grandparents' home. His grandfather was seen spraying Ethan with a hose and seeming to encourage another child to punch him. Another video showed Ives carrying Ethan in a similar manner and placing him in the back of a car, before appearing to punch him twice in the stomach. A post-mortem found more than 40 visible injuries on his tiny frame, including fingerprint-shaped marks to his face, bruising on his arms, legs and chest, a chipped tooth and tears to his mouth and lip, which had a large chunk missing. Other more serious internal injuries, however, including bleeding in his abdomen and brain, most likely caused by shaking, were the ultimate cause of his death. His aunt described how Mr Griffiths and his family were 'devastated' to learn of the loss of Ethan: 'We had such a short amount of time with Ethan which was so unfortunate. 'It was devastating, I can't even put it into words how it affected us. It was just heart wrenching to see the impact [on Ethan's father]. 'And of course Will hadn't seen him for a number of weeks. They took away what were unfortunately his last weeks.' It emerged in court that despite social services being highly aware of the risk to the youngster, he was seen just once in the 41 days before his death by a health professional or social worker. This was in spite of Ethan being known to social services since his birth, and on a plan which meant he should have been seen in person once every ten days. Social worker Michael Cornish saw Ethan on July 22, and he was not seen by a professional again until he sustained fatal injuries. Shannon Ives last saw her social worker on August 5, when she spoke to him on the doorstep and told him Ethan was having a nap. Ethan's final months: A timeline April 27 2019 - Ethan Ives-Griffiths is born to his mother Shannon Ives. June 9 2021 - Police are called to the home of Shannon Ives in Mold, where her partner is arrested for controlling and coercive behaviour. She and Ethan Ives-Griffiths are taken to safety and later move in with her sister in Garden City, Deeside. June 24 2021 - Ethan moves into the home of his grandparents, Michael and Kerry Ives, in Kingsley Road, Garden City, while his mother continues to live with her sister. The toddler stays for a brief period before returning to his mother. July 16 2021 - Ethan and Shannon Ives move into the home on Kingsley Road. July 22 2021 - Social worker Michael Cornish attends the home of Shannon Ives's sister for a visit, but is told she has moved. He then attends the Kingsley Road home, where he sees Ethan and speaks to Shannon. He tells her Ethan is on the child protection register and there is a requirement for him to be seen every 10 days. August 4 2021 - CCTV footage from the back garden shows Ethan on a trampoline. He is seen being carried by his grandfather, Michael Ives, by the top of his arm. August 5 2021 - Mr Cornish contacts Shannon Ives to arrange a visit. Just after 3pm, he attended the house but did a doorstep visit and was told Ethan was having a nap. August 9 2021 - A core group meeting is due to be held, involving social services professionals and Shannon Ives. Shannon Ives does not attend. She messages Mr Cornish to say she is not feeling well, but later accepts that was not true. August 12 2021 - Ethan is seen on CCTV leaving the house for the first time since August 4. Footage shows him being carried by his arm by Michael Ives into the car. Ives appears to hit out twice with his arm once the toddler is in his car seat. Health visitor Ellie Jones and Mr Cornish attempt to visit the home, but there is no answer at the door. August 13 2021 - According to what the Ives family will later tell police, Ethan collapses on this day, but no medical attention is sought. A planned visit with the health visitor is cancelled by Shannon Ives. August 14 2021 - 9.02pm - Shannon Ives is on the phone when her mother shouts for her to come downstairs because Ethan has collapsed. Michael and Kerry Ives were in the living room with their grandson when this happened. 9.20pm - Kerry Ives rings 999. August 16 2021 - Ethan is pronounced dead at 6pm in Alder Hey Children's Hospital. Nobody answered the door when Mr Cornish went back to visit in the days before Ethan's death, and a scheduled appointment with a health visitor on August 13 was cancelled. Ethan's family have now set up a petition, which has so far garnered more than 30,000 signatures, calling for stricter checks on at-risk children to prevent future deaths. Ms Shone said: 'I don't blame social services for Ethan's death, I blame them for not doing their jobs. 'It's absolutely ridiculous that the individuals involved haven't been held accountable. 'They should have referred a welfare check to the police. They should have gone back [to the house] later that evening, the next day. 'By the time the social services were doing their review the damage had already been done. It was a ticking time bomb for Ethan and it was unavoidable.' The family want visits by social workers to be escalated to local police forces if they are refused entry or access to the child they are supposed to be visiting. Their petition reads: 'Right now, social workers can carry out home visits without a warrant, but if they are refused entry (as they were in Ethan's case) they have no power to escalate it unless the situation appears visibly urgent. 'We believe that must change. If entry is denied, the visit should automatically be escalated to the police for a welfare check. If this step is not taken, social workers must be held accountable for failing to follow protocol, especially when a child is already on the protection register. 'We're also calling for increased frequency of checks. For children on the register, visits should take place every 5-7 days, not every 10. 'For children not yet on the register but known to services, we're urging for checks every 4-6 weeks by health professionals such as health visitors or GPs. Regular, thorough monitoring of vulnerable children can help identify danger sooner, intervene earlier, and ultimately save lives. 'We couldn't save Ethan but we can honour him by making sure this never happens again.' After Ethan's grandparents were convicted of murder, his father Mr Griffiths said his son could 'rest in peace' now that 'justice has been served'. 'Unfortunately, I did not get much time with Ethan, but the time I did have was precious,' he said. 'He will never be forgotten and will always live on in our hearts and memories. 'He will be remembered for the smiley, outgoing, loving child that he was.' A spokesman for Flintshire Council said they were co-operating with the independent child practice review being carried out by the North Wales Safeguarding Board into Ethan's case. 'Ethan's tragic death has shocked and appalled the community of Flintshire and it is inconceivable that his young life was taken by those who should have protected him,' he said. 'Our thoughts remain with all those who loved and supported Ethan during his short life.' Mr Justice Martin Griffiths warned Michael and Kerry they would be jailed for life and Shannon was also looking at a 'substantial' prison term when he sentences them in October.
The Guardian
3 hours ago
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New investigation into backpacker killer Ivan Milat possible after NSW premier leaves door open
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