United Kingdom: Parents of Girl Who Died at Nursery Fear Poor Practice May Be Rife

Genevieve Meehan suffocated when she was strapped face down to a beanbag for an hour and 37 minutes at a nursery in Cheadle Hulme, Stockport, in May 2022. Kate Roughley, the nursery’s deputy manager, was jailed for 14 years in 2024 after being found guilty of manslaughter. One of Roughley’s colleagues was later jailed for the “deplorable” treatment of other babies in her care. Genevieve’s parents, Katie and John Meehan, have led a campaign with the charity the Lullaby Trust to strengthen safety and regulation of nurseries after a series of high-profile abuses.

The sector has come under intense scrutiny after the cases of Vincent Chan and Nathan Bennett, nursery workers who sexually assaulted children in their care. Chan was jailed in February for 18 years for molesting young children, while Bennett was jailed in March for 24 years for raping and abusing young children.