Nursery must pay £20k over toddler 'scarred for life'
The girl's mother said her daughter had been scarred for life and she will need more surgery and more treatments as she grows up
- Published
A nursery has been ordered to pay more than £20,000 in costs after a toddler was left "scarred for life" by scalding water.
The little girl sustained severe burns to her head, face and neck at the Children's Garden Day Nursery in Stamford in 2023, Lincoln Crown Court heard.
Operators John Kenyon, 53 and Claire Kenyon, 54 admitted two health and safety offences at a previous hearing.
In a victim impact statement read out at the sentencing hearing on Monday, the girl's mum said: "The fact that we handed our daughter over, where we felt she was safe, is what we struggle with and the guilt around this will not leave us."
Alison Lambert, prosecuting on behalf of South Kesteven District Council, said the toddler was injured when an open-topped milk bottle warmer tipped over.
Judge Sjolin Knight said the circumstances of how it happened were not totally understood.
In her statement, the girl's mum said her daughter, who required specialist hospital treatment, was scarred for life and would need more surgery and treatment as she grew up.
Ali Bajwa KC, mitigating said the operators of the Children's Garden Day Nursery partnership were "mortified" that the bottle heater had inflicted such horrific injuries.
He said the nursery had taken steps to ensure the incident could not be repeated, including replacing the bottle warmer with one that doesn't use hot water.
The nursery admitted failing to ensure the health and safety of non-members of staff and failing to report an incident to the council by the quickest practical means, and within ten days.
Judge Knight issued a £600 fine for the first offence, reduced to £400 for early guilty pleas, and awarded prosecution costs of £20,000.
She added: "It is really important that incidents like this are fully and properly investigated and prosecuted."
The court heard compensation for the injuries sustained was being dealt with in the civil courts.
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