Nursery worker denies she 'persecuted' baby who died

Kate Roughley said she "would never not like a nine-month-old baby"

A nursery worker denied she "persecuted" a nine-month-old baby who died in her care.

Kate Roughley, 37, found Genevieve Meehan unresponsive on 9 May 2022 at Tiny Toes in Cheadle Hulme, Stockport.

The prosecution alleged the she "allowed her dislike to manifest" as the child was left "virtually immobilised" on a beanbag for 90 minutes before she died.

Ms Roughley denies manslaughter and an alternative charge of child cruelty.

Genevieve's parents, John Meehan and Katie Wheeler, were at Manchester Crown Court on Thursday as the jury was shown CCTV footage from the day the baby died.

'Far from the truth'

The jury, which was also shown footage from the baby room from May 5 and 6, was told Genevieve was subject to "illogical and disturbing hostility".

Peter Wright KC, cross-examining, told the court that whatever the child "did or didn't do" it was "never going to be satisfactory" for Ms Roughley.

"You allowed your dislike of a nine-month-old child to manifest itself in ill-treatment that you meted out to her," he added.

Ms Roughley, from Heaton Norris, Stockport, denied the claims as Genevieve's parents sat behind her in court.

She said: "I would never not like a nine-month-old baby. So to say I disliked her is far from the truth."

Ms Roughley said she did not see Genevieve in "discomfort and distress"

Ms Roughley rejected the suggestion the CCTV footage showed Genevieve was in distress.

The prosecution said the youngster died from a combination of asphyxia and pathophysiological stress after the defendant placed her face down, tightly swaddled and strapped to a beanbag.

It is alleged she then ignored the cries and distress of Genevieve, and showed "sporadic" and "fleeting" interest in her wellbeing, for 97 minutes.

Mr Wright told Ms Roughley that the footage shown the child "moving violently" and in distress.

Ms Roughley said she did not see Genevieve in "discomfort and distress" on the beanbag, and her position was how she went to sleep "previous times at the nursery".

'Stop whingeing'

Ms Roughley told the court she and other members of staff would often engage with children by singing rhymes to them.

But Ms Roughley was then asked by the prosecution: "What rhymes with 'whinger' or 'diva', or other such remarks you have made to her?"

She replied: "I would not say diva is malicious.

"It's just when children are showing their personality off.

"Genevieve would not have been the only child I would have called a diva.

"Often we would say to children 'stop whingeing'.

"This was not shouted at the children or said in any malicious way.

"They were just passing comments through the working day."

When asked if she believed Genevieve's death was avoidable, Ms Roughley said if she checked on her a "couple of seconds or minutes earlier it may have been different".

But she added the baby girl was sleeping on the beanbag "like many children had done before".

She told the court she felt responsible for Genevieve being in her care that day but added: "I don't feel my actions were the reason for the death."

The trial continues.