'I did nothing different on this day': Nursery worker who killed baby in her care

A nursery is a place you where your child should be safe and protected.

But for baby Genevieve Meehan, her life was cut short in horrific circumstances by someone in a position of trust. She was just nine months and 21-days-old when she died.

Following a month-long trial, nursery deputy manager Kate Roughley was convicted of manslaughter, after swaddling little Genevieve and strapping her face down onto a bean bag, reports the Manchester Evening News.

READ MORE: Boy stabbed 'for his trainers' as he walked to school to sit GCSE exam

READ MORE: Boyfriend, girlfriend and mum in dock as £350k of cocaine found in TK Maxx suitcase

Baby Genevieve, called Gigi by her family, was a blessing to her parents, John Meehan and Katie Wheeler, who first announced her presence to the family by way of a double celebration alongside her dad's birthday party.

Ms Wheeler said: "We were so overjoyed - she was so very wanted."

Coming into the world prematurely in July 2021, and weighing just 3lb 12oz, she was every bit the missing piece to the close-knit family. Genevieve was admitted to a high dependency unit at St Mary's Hospital in Manchester before being moved onto the nursery ward.

Her mum added: "She was small but perfectly formed."

A growing Genevieve was then moved to Stepping Hill Hospital, no longer requiring specialist support. Before she was discharged and allowed to go home to meet her big sister.

Ms Wheeler said. "She thrived from the moment she came into the world, loved food and constantly wanted food. She took an interest in food and when we ate, she watched every morsel of food from the moment it left the plate to the point it got into our mouth."

Cautious, as every new parent is, they took extra precautions over Christmas, making every member of the family take a covid test before seeing Gigi. They also created a shift system, allowing them to ensure the safe sleeping of their precious little girl.

Ms Wheeler said: "We were obsessive about safe sleeping. We were both anxious about the safety of our children and ensuring we were doing absolutely everything we could do to keep them safe."

The weekend before Genevieve was enrolled at Tiny Toes Nursery in Cheadle Hulme, she was taken to a Beatrice Potter event, where she became fascinated by the afternoon tea and constantly reached out trying to grab the cakes on offer.

During an hour-long "settling in" session at the nursery on April 4 she was looked after by Roughley, who filled out an 'All About Me' form, which helped staff get to know their charges.

It contained the following: "She liked to be called Gigi. She likes her sister, nursery rhymes, people singing and dancing, soft books, cuddles, family members. She disliked the hoover, when you leave the room, the rain cover."

"Nap time - gets tired around 10am and 2pm, only naps in the pram or being cuddled. Developing well. Doing well with weaning."

However, Gigi later developed a cough. Her parents took her to hospital, and she was later diagnosed with bronchiolitis.

The baby was admitted to hospital a number of times over the next few days, but was ultimately discharged with an antibiotic inhaler. Her parents kept her out of nursery as they did not want to risk her health, and she later went back on May 5.

Ms Wheeler had given the nursery a note containing information about nap times, nappy changes and a schedule for her inhaler - two puffs every two hours.

"You're making a right work of art," Roughley was captured retorting on CCTV, as she pinned the note to the wall behind her and fed baby Gigi in a high chair.

That day she developed a rash, which was found to have been caused by a change to the laundry detergent in the nursery. She was given antihistamines and it cleared up.

Gigi's young life seemed to be developing like so many other youngsters. Her parents, however, were completely unaware of what was really happening to their little girl. It all became clear in harrowing CCTV footage.

On May 5, she had been given her medication before being put down to sleep on a bean bag, for two hours, as Roughley sat with her back to her, trying to keep other children from clambering onto her. Roughley appeared abrupt with Gigi and the other children, moving them around forcefully and showing little care.

She then left baby Genevieve crying on the beanbag for several seconds before another member of staff tended to her. Towards the end of the day, as Gigi was collected to be given back to her parents, Roughley could be heard singing: "Go see daddy, go see daddy."

Before Genevieve returned the next day, May 6, Roughley said to another colleague: "Hopefully Genevieve's not in today, 'cause she had a rash an' all."

But, baby Gigi was dropped off that morning and, while feeding her with a spoon, Roughley got up and said: "I give up." She was frustrated with the nine-month-old, who wasn't doing what she wanted her to do.

Later, as the baby cried, Roughley spat: "stop your whinging" and called her a "stress head".

It was clear that the deputy manager, and leader of the Baby Room where Genevieve and others stayed, had taken a dislike to the child. After being put down for her nap, Genevieve did not appear to settle, and cried loudly. Roughley shook a cuddly toy at her, which did not appear to have any effect.

She told her, before leaving her: "Right, well you can go back to bed then". Unsurprisingly, the baby girl continued to cry, prompting Roughley to say: "Genevieve, I got you up but you carried on so you're staying in there".

She was plonked down onto the playmat, still crying before Roughley walked away saying: "No Genevieve."

Her lack of tenderness continued as she picked the baby up by her armpits and put her into a highchair with such force that it jolted her head backwards. Roughley was '"punishing her", prosecutors alleged in court.

She said to the girl: "I hate to say I told you so but you should have slept better Genevieve, you silly girl".

Later, as Genevieve could be heard crying, instead of consoling her, Roughley remarked: "Genevieve I'll put you right the way down there so I can't hear ya".

Worryingly, she spoke to Genevieve in this manner in front of other staff members, who did not intervene. That afternoon, the baby girl was sitting in a high chair, continuing to cry.

"Genevieve, go home... Do you have to be so loud and so constant?" Roughley remarked.

"Change the record," she added, and her anger seemed to bubble away.

Throwing some soft toys at Genevieve, one struck her in the face. "You've got one of the four things I threw," Roughley said.

When Genevieve again started to cry, Roughley threw another toy in her direction and remarked "Genevieve, go and ring a taxi". She had also been overheard telling another baby: "You're a disgrace to the human race."

Later when complaining to a colleague that Genevieve had broken her nail, she said: "She's the only child that has been a little bit of a (diva) today and I'm just going to give her the benefit of the doubt because she's new." She was also recorded as saying: "Genevieve if we had any chance of being friends, you just blew it".

She also sang: "Genevieve go home... please...I'm even asking nicely... you are driving me bananas," before Gigi was picked up by her family.

Outside of the nursery baby Gigi was growing up quickly in front of her loving family. The weekend before her death was the "best weekend of her life", her parents said.

She was developing in leaps and bounds, able to support herself standing up and moving about the furniture at home. She even took her first unaided steps to her Grandma in the kitchen and was babbling 'dada dada'.

Her mum said: "We played on the playmat and she delighted in showing off her skills. After dinner we gave her a bath and she played with her bath toys. She had just got her two bottom teeth and was desperately chewing her toys.

"John tried to take them off and she got very cross. It was funny and cute. I remember that weekend as one of our happiest. She was very happy and well."

The morning of May 9, as her mum was getting ready for work, Genevieve played happily with her make up on the bed. Ms Wheeler had put suncream on her, which the baby found funny as she was ticklish.

Her parents dropped her off together, Mr Meehan driving, and Ms Wheeler taking her into the nursery. She was unable to go into the main area of the nursery due to COVID rules, and so had to leave her with staff at reception.

Her mum told her, kissing her goodbye: "I love you, sweetie," It was the last time she saw her daughter conscious.

Throughout the morning Roughley's hostility was clear. She was short with Genevieve, and uncaring. In the morning she put her down for her nap, swaddling her tightly and placing her into a cot face down. She then draped a blanket over the crib.

She removed the crying child an hour later, putting her down onto the playmat and uttering the word: "Vile."

Roughley put some toys in front of the baby then took a few pictures of her to send to her parents, as per the nursery's promise for each child. At 10.57am she began clapping and singing: "Genevieve, go home, Genevieve, go home, Genevieve, go home..."

It was around 1.30pm when Roughley pulled a soft bean bag towards them, along with two blankets. She tightly swaddled Genevieve, wrapping her arms and legs into the blanket.

She then picked up the girl, who was visibly unable to move and put her front down onto the bean bag. Securing the bean bag strap across her back, she said to her: "You slept better last week when you was in here".

The haunting CCTV shows the little girl struggle against the beanbag, crying loudly and clearly in distress. Roughley appears to check other cots around her, but doesn't check Genevieve.

It was 2.24pm when Genevieve's last movements were captured. Roughley eventually went to her at 2.35pm and placed a hand on her back. But it was too late.

The sad reality had become evidence. The stress placed upon her tiny body had caused her to asphyxiate. The alarm was raised.

Mr Meehan was collecting his partner's daughter from school when he got the call no parent should ever receive.

He said: "I answered the phone and [Katie Wheeler] told me she had a phone call from the nursery who said Genevieve was found unresponsive and blue and an ambulance was on its way to the nursery.

"I immediately turned around and got in my car. Katie then phoned me back and informed me that the ambulance arrived and Gigi was being taken to Stepping Hill Hospital. They said it would take about 10 minutes.

"I was aware Katie and her mother were being taken by police officers to the hospital. I arrived before them and approached the paramedic and asked if it was Genevieve. He said he didn't know and I asked if it was a little girl and they said yes, and I could see that CPR was being conducted on Genevieve by paramedics."

The family stayed at the hospital as doctors tried desperately to save their daughter.

"I overheard the doctors having a conversation about stopping CPR - I wanted to stay with Genevieve," her dad said.

Roughley was spoken to at the nursery. She claimed she "constantly" checked on the babies.

She said "Well obviously I constantly check them that they're breathing when they're sleeping and I kept going over to her and the last time I went over, I'd gone over probably every like three 'n half, four minutes cos she does have a bad chest and a bad cough as well and she was just like that, last time I checked her."

She was later arrested and brought in for an interview. She was asked to describe the position she put the infant onto the bean bag.

The officer said: "What position did you put her on? On her side, on her right side," Roughley said, hands in her coat pockets and leaning backwards on her chair.

"I put her on her side and her face was on the left side. She was looking that way (indicated left)," she said, before laughing. Her legs were kicking, they were off the edge of the bean bag. Her legs were a little bit off the bean bag."

Following her police interview, Roughley was ultimately charged with manslaughter and an alternate offence of child cruelty. Two years on from Genevieve's death, she faced a trial at Manchester Crown Court.

As she stood in the witness box, a Mickey Mouse tattoo clearly visible on her neck, Roughley urged jurors to believe her, saying that she had always wanted to work with children.

Though she had no children of her own, her first experience of looking after children was when she would babysit her younger cousins. Then, in her studies for her NVQ in Childcare, she did work experience at a reception.

She had not worked with babies, or been trained to work with babies, until COVID. Her previous experience had been with toddlers, she'd said.

Roughley had trained and worked at Tiny Toes, establishing a 17-year long career there. She said she was even promoted to deputy manager, though it came with no extra duties.

It was put to her that she "persecuted" Genevieve, and took an active hatred to her. She denied this. She claimed the nursery was over-ratioed, with too many babies to look after and too few staff members to help.

She said: "I did nothing different on this day to any other day." Her barrister, Sarah Elliott KC said: "As far as you are concerned, did you wilfully or deliberately potentially ill-treat her in any way?"

Roughley: "No, I didn't. I didn't treat Genevieve any different to any other child in my care." Ms Elliott said: "What responsibility do you feel in relation to what happened?"

The defendant replied: "I do feel responsible for Genevieve's death given she was in my care that day. However, I don't feel my actions were the cause of the death."

But, jurors saw through her lies and convicted her of manslaughter after almost six hours of deliberations. Now, Genevieve's family can finally get the closure they deserve for their little girl, and continue spreading her legacy.

Roughley will be sentenced on Wednesday, May 22.

Don't miss the biggest and breaking stories by signing up to the Echo Daily newsletter here