A KILLER nursery manager who left a baby to die face down on a bean bag after showing her “disturbing hostility” has been jailed.
Kate Roughley verbally abused Genevieve Meehan for weeks leading up to her death at Tiny Toes Nursery in Cheadle Hulme, Stockport.
The qualified nurse, 37 strapped the nine-month-old face down and left her for 90 minutes – causing Genevieve to suffocate.
Roughley has now been jailed for 14 years after being convicted of unlawful act manslaughter.
In a heartbreaking victim impact statement, Genevieve’s mum Katie Wheeler told how she is “haunted” by her daughter’s death.
She added: “I am dead inside and incapable of living. She is my little girl, she lived inside me – she is a part of me.”
Katie also told how she held the baby for hours after she died as she recalled her daughter’s horrific death.
The mum said: “I feel so ashamed and I was ignorant at the time at what was to come. As mother mother, I feel I should known she was going to die.
“In hospital I ran to her and saw her lying on the bed surrounded by more doctors than I had ever seen. I held her for hours after she died until she felt heavy and her face started to change. I did not want to let her go.”
The mum also slammed Roughley for telling “lie after lie” about Genevieve, whose life was “destroyed” by the nurse.
While the baby’s dad John Meehan said: “You are cold and callous and cruel. I have a beautiful daughter and her name is Genevieve.
“I could not have known, someone paid and trusted to provide her care, that she was not to receive that care. She loved to laugh, spend time with her sister, she loved to play with a tambourine, and to play with her dog.
“To you, you have no legacy. You are a child killer. She has a legacy. I am so proud of her, and for as long as I am living I will always say I have a beautiful daughter and her name is Genevieve.”
Manchester Crown Court heard the deputy nursery manager had “for some inexplicable reason appeared to have taken against Genevieve“.
Roughley’s actions were fuelled by this “illogical and disturbing hostility” towards the nine-month-old.
In the days before Genevieve’s death, Roughley was heard telling the tot to “stop your whinging”.
She also told her repeatedly to “go home” when she cried and subjected the tot to “rough handling”.
Cruel Roughley even made up a song to taunt the baby that went: “Genevieve, Genevieve, stop your whingeing, Genevieve”.
This ill-treatment came to a tragic head on May 9, 2022, when Roughley decided to punish Genevieve for not sleeping long enough for her liking.
She strapped the baby on her front by “means of a harness” on a bean bag rather than a cot or sleeping mat.
Genevieve was then “practically” covered from head to foot in a blanket that would have heightened her risk of overheating.
Genevieve’s “desperate fight for survival” as she slowly suffocated was clear but her thrashing and crying were ignored.
CCTV showed Roughley in this period heading for a toilet break while telling a colleague: “Just ignore anyone if they start.”
She was also seen checking on other children but not Genevieve, who “remained on the beanbag seemingly motionless”.
Roughley, who had 17 years experience in nursery work, maintained the baby’s death was a “terrible, unavoidable accident”.
She also denied she had “persecuted” Genevieve, adding: “I would never not like a nine-month-old baby.”
“It has been just over two years since our beautiful and wonderful daughter’s life was taken from her. Genevieve’s loss has destroyed our family. We grieve for her every day. We long desperately to see her smile, hear her laugh and feel her warm embrace. Her absence is a physical and emotional wound that will never heal.
“Genevieve wasn’t just a baby, she was a person. She loved to laugh, to play with her tambourine, to eat Spaghetti Bolognese and to be with her big sister. She was kind, affectionate, independent and mischievous. She was fascinated with the world and everything in it. She embraced every day. She loved life and we loved her instantly.
“We were amazed every day watching her grow and develop. She was such a strong person, bright and talented. To be in her presence was such joy.
“We will never accept the cruelty of her life being taken away. That we will not get to hear her speak her first words or watch her grow up is impossible to comprehend. Genevieve could have done anything she wanted to. She had her whole life to live and was loved so dearly by her family.
“We grieve for what we do not have. Words cannot adequately convey how much we miss Genevieve. We are so desperate for her to be in our arms as she should be and watching her put on her school uniform in September when she would have started pre-school. Instead, we are here in a place we could never have imagined when we took her to nursery that day on 9 May where she was meant to be safe and cared for. The pain of her loss is beyond any measure.
“We grieve for everything Genevieve has lost. Her life, that was so full of wonder and promise, was taken from her.
“We thank the police for their dedication to getting justice for Genevieve, for their professionalism and their compassion. We would not be here without their commitment or the work of the CPS and the legal team who have fought for Genevieve and our family.
“Our beautiful daughter deserves to be remembered for the wonderful person she is, not the nature of her death. She deserves to have a legacy so that her life can inspire others. As a family, we will work tirelessly to ensure she has the legacy she deserves.”
Karen Tonge, Specialist Prosecutor for CPS North West’s Complex Casework Unit, said: “Genevieve Meehan was nine months and 21 days old when her life was so cruelly cut short.
“The CCTV footage from the nursery’s baby room showed a complete lack of care and tenderness towards Genevieve, and a total disregard for her welfare.
“For some inexplicable reason, Kate Roughley had taken a dislike to Genevieve, and this was clear for all to hear and see.
“Roughley was entrusted to take care of Genevieve. It is difficult to comprehend how someone in such a position of trust could have such a complete disregard for a child’s wellbeing and life. Her actions and inactions have had devastating consequences.
“I can’t begin to imagine the toll this has taken and will continue to take on Genevieve’s family. My thoughts are with them all.”
