Owners of the nursery where nine-month-old baby Genevieve Meehan was killed face a health and safety investigation.
Tiny Toes, based in Cheadle, an affluent area of Stockport, Greater Manchester, had been run by Franck Pelle, 59, and his wife Karen, 66, a solicitor, since 2016. The couple’s daughter Grace, 29, was also a director of the nursery’s parent company for two years between 2020 and 2022.
The Pelles, who have a £1m home in the Cheshire countryside, have not commented about their former employee Katie Roughley’s manslaughter trail and are believed to be in France.
Stockport Council last night confirmed it is to carry out an investigation into possible health and safety failings at the nursery.
It came after Sarah Elliott KC, defending Roughley, told the jury they should consider whether Roughley had been made a scapegoat.
Nine-month-old Genevieve was found dead at Tiny Toes nursery, in Cheadle, on the afternoon of May 9, 2022
Roughley, pictured here arriving at Manchester Crown Court on Wednesday, May 15, was found guilty of manslaughter
She said: ‘You may think that there are a number of people the Crown could have put in the dock but they have chosen to blame Kate Roughley.’
‘Kate Roughley is a very ordinary woman. She wanted to work with children since she was a schoolgirl, that’s all she has ever done.
‘Everything she knew, all that experience came from Tiny Toes. She went there almost straight from school.’
Senior colleagues at Tiny Toes, including the Pelles, became ‘like a family to her’ but Miss Elliott added: ‘There is no sign of them now.’
She suggested that the owners were making an ‘awful lot of money’ and were paying their staff £11 and £11.50 per hour but ‘worse than that’ the nursery had too many children and not enough staff.
Miss Elliott said Roughley had not deliberately put Genevieve face down or ill-treated her because she didn’t like her.
She went on: ‘Don’t hold against her minor losses of patience or rushing when the numbers (of children) were overwhelming. The (CCTV) footage you have seen is a snapshot.
‘Over 17 years of nursery work without a complaint about her, we say that Genevieve is treated in the same way as others.
Tiny Toes, based in Cheadle, an affluent area of Stockport, Greater Manchester, had been run by Franck Pelle, 59, and his wife Karen, 66, a solicitor, since 2016
Roughley had risen to become deputy manager at Tiny Toes nursery in Stockport after 17 years in childcare
Genevieve Meehan was strapped face down onto a bean bag for more than an hour-and-a-half
John and Katie Meehan, the parents of Genevieve, outside Manchester Crown Court on Monday
‘We say that everything that Kate Roughley does on May 9 is done with the aim of getting Genevieve to settle.
‘Swaddling her for comfort, the blanket for extra warmth, putting her on her side because she has a cough and putting her on a bean bag because she was told she had slept better on it.’
The nursery, which closed after Genevieve’s death and has not reopened, was rated as ‘good’ but not outstanding in a 2017 Ofsted inspection.
Summarising its shortcomings, inspectors said: ‘Staff do not always make the best use of the indoor space available to maximise babies’ physical development and enhance their independent movement to make choices.
‘Occasionally, the resources available for babies and toddlers do not fully support their growing curiosity and exploratory skills to fully extend their learning.’
In 2020, the facility was subject of an unannounced Ofsted inspection after concerns were reported to the watchdog about staff shouting at infants, Manchester Crown Court heard.
Stockport Council would only confirm the investigation but declined to comment further.
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