Inside the chaotic nursery where little Genevieve died
22.05.2024 - 21:19
/ manchestereveningnews.co.uk
Off a busy main road in the leafy Stockport suburb of Cheadle Hulme, sat a nursery that would become the scene of an unthinkable tragedy. Adorned with flashes of bright green - and portraits of smiling babies - images of the daycare facility would, following the death of an nine-month-old girl, appear on news websites and social media feeds across the UK.
Behind closed doors, Tiny Toes Day Nursery was in chaos. Staff were overstretched and there were too many children. Babies and toddlers filled every crib and high chair. Some were sprawled out on the floor.
Infants bawled while staff constantly moved between them, trying to give them the attention they needed. The disorder and confusion culminated in the death of Genevieve Zofia Meehan at the hands of deputy manager Kate Roughley.
READ MORE: The nursery worker that parents will never be able to forgive once they saw through her lies
Roughley, 37, in her role as 'baby room leader', swaddled the child before placing her face down on a beanbag, strapping her down with a harness and leaving her for an hour-and-a-half. Baby Genevieve, nicknamed 'Gigi' by her family, died from asphyxia and 'pathophysiological stress' caused by an unsafe sleeping environment.
Now - as Roughley begins a 14-year sentence having been found guilty of manslaughter by a jury following a Manchester Crown Court trial - the full truth of what was going on at Tiny Toes can be told. The harrowing details heard in court will make every parent shudder.
The Manchester Evening News spoke to people whose children attended the nursery. One parent, who asked not to be named, said his son went to Tiny Toes alongside Genevieve.
"He wasn't there that morning when that happened, but he was on other days,"