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In a tragic case that has shocked many, a nursery has admitted to corporate manslaughter and breaches of health and safety regulations following the death of a 14-month-old child in its care. The toddler, Noah Sibanda, lost his life in December 2022 while attending Fairytales Day Nursery in Dudley, which has since been closed. The incident involved Noah being restrained in a dangerous manner while being put down to sleep.
The owner of the nursery, Deborah Latewood, 55, alongside the nursery itself, pleaded guilty at Wolverhampton Crown Court. Latewood acknowledged that she should have been aware that children were being placed to sleep in unsafe positions. Prior to this, nursery worker Kimberley Cookson, 23, admitted to gross negligence manslaughter after it was revealed that she had tried to compel Noah to sleep by placing him face down on a soft cushion and restraining him using her leg.
CCTV footage played a crucial role in the case, showing Noah tightly wrapped in a sleeping bag with a blanket covering his head, positioned face down by Cookson. The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) noted that Cookson forced Noah to sleep despite his resistance. When staff noticed that Noah was unresponsive, emergency services were called, but he was sadly pronounced dead in hospital.
Both Latewood and Cookson, who are residents of Dudley, along with Fairytales Day Nursery, are set to receive sentencing on 16 April. The charges admitted include gross negligence manslaughter by Cookson; corporate manslaughter and a health and safety offence by the nursery; and a breach of health and safety duties by Latewood. Alex Johnson from the CPS described the circumstances as “deeply distressing” and emphasised that “no child should be harmed under the care of professionals.” He further highlighted that Noah’s death came from “reckless and dangerous sleeping practices” which created a suffocating environment, and stated, “Nursery providers have a fundamental duty to protect the children in their care,” underlining the tragic consequences when that duty is neglected
Read the full article from The BBC here: Read More
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