Nursery baby died because she was put in ‘very unsafe sleeping environment’, court hears
A baby girl who was strapped face down to a nursery bean bag died because she was put in a “very unsafe sleeping environment”, a court has heard.
Kate Roughley, 37, is accused of the manslaughter by ill-treatment of nine-month-old Genevieve Meehan whom she cared for at Tiny Toes Nursery (pictured) in Cheadle Hulme, Stockport, on May 9 2022.
The nursery nurse had swaddled the youngster in a blanket and put her on her front onto the bean bag. She then fastened a strap across Genevieve’s back before she later placed another cover over her.
Giving evidence on Monday at Manchester Crown Court, pathologist Dr Philip Lumb told jurors that he considered the cause of Genevieve’s death was a combination of asphyxia and various pathophysiological stresses including upper airway obstruction.
Last week, CCTV footage from within the baby room was watched by jurors, some in tears, as Genevieve lay in a prone position for more than 90 minutes before she was discovered unresponsive and blue by the defendant.
The prosecution say Roughley’s interest in Genevieve’s wellbeing during that period was “sporadic and, at best, fleeting” and that the child’s cries, distress and efforts to move or reposition herself were ignored.
Peter Wright KC asked Dr Lumb: “What did you conclude from your examination of the CCTV footage?”
The witness said: “It showed that Genevieve Meehan had been put in a very unsafe sleeping environment which, in my opinion, was responsible for her death.
“She was unable to escape from that position due to the swaddling and strapping.”
Dr Lumb said in these circumstances an infant would become exhausted as they struggled to move.
He said he had not identified any natural disease condition and that post-mortem examination of the youngster’s brain indicated she had not died because of some “sudden and unexpected event”.
Roughley, of Heaton Norris, Stockport, denies manslaughter and an alternative count of child cruelty.
The trial continues on Tuesday with further medical evidence.
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