Woman, 25, who worked at nursery where nine-month-old girl was killed is jailed for child abuse
A WOMAN who worked at the same nursery where a nine-month-old girl was killed has been jailed for child neglect.
Rebecca Gregory, 25, mistreated four children at the Tiny Toes nursery in Cheadle Hulme, Stockport, in April 2022.
Little Genevieve Meehan died after being left face down and restrained for hours by manager Kate Roughley the following month.
Gregory has now been jailed for three years after admitting neglecting children in her care at the nursery.
She was arrested after CCTV footage was viewed as part of Greater Manchester Police‘s investigation into Genevieve’s death.
The footage revealed Gregory had pulled a blanket over one girl and swaddled her, before pulling the edge down, “causing the child to spin and roll uncontrolled on the floor” and leave her crying.
She also slammed one boy hard down on the floor, causing an “audible thud” and an “outburst of distressed crying”.
She was then heard to say: “What you f***ing doing kid?”
Gregory also picked up a third boy from play mat by the arms and put him in a high chair, causing his head to “slam” the back of it.
In another sickening clip, the worker swaddled a child so tightly that he couldn’t move.
When he became distressed, she forced his head down – preventing him from moving.
Gregory’s sentence comes just months after Roughley, 37, was jailed for 14 years for Genevieve’s manslaughter.
The baby had been strapped to a bean bag face down and was tightly swaddled for almost two hours while her cries were “simply ignored”.
Detective Constable Natalie Pettit from our Stockport district said: “Anyone who hears the details of this investigation cannot fail to be sickened by the careless actions of Rebecca Gregory.
“She knew her actions fell far beyond the correct professional standards but failed to take any reasonable steps to protect these children.
“This was a harrowing investigation which uncovered several unacceptable behaviours and practices at Tiny Toes Nursery.
“It was clear to see that there was a culture of not challenging inappropriate behaviour which ultimately placed several children who were under their care at risk of serious harm.
“We worked closely with the Crown Prosecution Service to build a strong case, and following a comprehensive investigation, we are pleased that Gregory will now have to face the consequences of her actions.”