Nursery nurse is convicted of killing nine-month-old child lady

A nursery worker who ignored the ‘serious and obvious’ risks of strapping a baby face down on a bean bag to sleep faces a lengthy jail term after being convicted of manslaughter.

Kate Roughley is due to receive a maximum sentence of life imprisonment over the ‘ill-treatment’ of nine-month-old Genevieve Meehan – known as ‘Gigi’ – who was left for over 90 minutes before being found ‘unresponsive and blue’.

During a month-long trial, jurors heard the 37-year-old from Heaton Norris, Stockport, displayed a ‘lack of sympathy’ towards children – labelling Genevieve ‘vile’, a ‘whinger’ and a ‘diva’.

CCTV even showed her ignoring the youngster’s crying and desperate last movements as she struggled to survive while tightly strapped to the bean bag, swaddled in a blanket.

Roughley, who had 17 years’ experience as a nursery worker but no children of her own, then ‘lied’ to cover up what she’d done, claiming she constantly checked on babies in her care.

The prosecution said Roughley’s ‘deliberate conduct’, ‘ill-treatment’ and ‘lack of any effective monitoring’ causing Genevieve’s death.

Roughley showed no emotion and stared straight ahead as jurors at Manchester Crown Court returned their verdicts after over five hours’ deliberations.

Mrs Justice Ellenbogan adjourned sentencing until Wednesday and remanded Roughley, whose parents were at the back of court, in custody until then.

Genevieve’s mother, Katie Wheeler, and other family members emotionally hugged outside court and thanked the prosecution.

Manchester Crown Court heard Genevieve suffered fatal asphyxia and pathophysiological stress caused by the ‘unsafe sleep environment’ at Tiny Toes nursery in Cheadle Hulme, Stockport, on May 9, 2022.

During the trial, Peter Wright KC, prosecuting, told the jury: ‘Her death was not the result of some terrible or unavoidable accident.

‘We say her death arose from ill-treatment she suffered at the hands of this defendant.’

On the day of tragedy, deputy manager Roughley was acting as leader in the nursery’s understaffed baby room where she was one of only two workers looking after 11 babies.

Genevieve had been dropped off by her parents, barrister John Meehan and solicitor Katie Wheeler at 9am and was found unresponsive at 3.12pm. She could not be revived was later pronounced dead in hospital.

Mr Wright said the reason for the baby’s condition wasn’t immediately apparent but became clear from CCTV footage.

He said Genevieve had been put to sleep by Roughley that afternoon, who had swaddled in her in a blanket so tightly she was unable to move.

The child had also been placed not on her back, according to safe sleep policies, but on her front and face down, strapped to a bean using a harness.

A blanket was also placed over her that practically covered her head to toe, with the ‘inevitable consequence’ it would make observations more difficult and increase the risk of overheating.

He said Genevieve was visibly ‘distressed by this treatment’ yet her thrashing and cries were ignored and she was left from around 1.35pm until she was discovered unresponsive – an hour and 37 minutes later.

Mr Wright said: ‘The risk to her of asphyxiation and death was, we say, both serious and obvious.

‘Yet the defendant ignored it and by the time she checked on Genevieve with anything vaguely representing any genuine interest it was too late.’

The jury heard how the baby had been enrolled at the nursery just a few weeks earlier in April after she ‘thrived’ despite being born premature at 35 weeks.

Genevieve had been treated in hospital for bronchiolitis – common in young infants – and was using an inhaler but expert witnesses said the condition was not a factor in her death.

Mr Wright said that in the days running up the tragedy Roughley had displayed a ‘lack of affection’ towards Genevieve that was ‘not merely visible, but tangible’.

On the day of Genevieve’s death, Roughley had used the bean bag as a ‘form of restraint’, Mr Wright said, ignoring safety advice never to place babies face down.

Under cross-examination during the trial, Roughley insisted: ‘I would never not like a nine-month-old baby. To say I disliked her is far from the truth.’

Asked if she thought that Genevieve’s death was avoidable, she said: ‘I feel that if I had checked on her a couple of seconds or minutes earlier it may have been different.

‘It was a common practice for children to sleep in the bean bag bed.

‘I feel responsible in the fact that Genevieve was in my care that day. However, I don’t feel my actions were the reason for the death.’

She denied that calling Genevieve a ‘whinger’ and ‘a diva’ was ‘malicious’.

Roughley said: ‘Often we would say to children ‘stop whingeing’ This was not shouted at the children or said in any malicious way. They were just passing comments through the working day.’

Sarah Elliot KC, defending, told the jury Roughley looked after children in a ‘practical, responsible, no-nonsense but caring way’.

She said the defendant denied failing to make safe-sleep arrangements and had ‘kept an appropriate eye’ on Genevieve.