Parents of child killed in nursery demand motion from PM over security | UK | News | EUROtoday

The dad and mom of a child who was killed at a nursery bravely took their battle to Downing Street yesterday (Monday) to demand pressing enhancements to security of their daughter’s identify. John and Katie Meehan’s daughter Genevieve died from asphyxiation when she was tightly swaddled, strapped face-down to a beanbag, and left unattended on the Tiny Toes nursery in Cheadle Hulme, Stockport, on May 9, 2022. She was simply 9 months previous.

Nursery employee Kate Roughley was jailed for 14 years for her manslaughter in May, 2024. CCTV proven throughout the trial which John and Katie needed to endure was important in securing a conviction over their daughter’s dying. But shockingly the distraught couple had been shocked to find CCTV shouldn’t be necessary for all nurseries, they usually discovered the inspectors from Ofsted, which oversees all childcare institutions, wouldn’t have to examine recordings.

Despite their unimaginable loss, John and Katie have been decided to repair a damaged system and launched the Campaign for Gigi to name for clear statutory safer sleep guidelines, necessary coaching for nursery employees, stronger Ofsted inspections and CCTV in all nurseries.

On Monday they handed a private letter to the Prime Minister urging new statutory tips which they are saying is all of the extra pressing at a time when the Government has elevated nursery care provision with an estimated 6,000 new locations.

“These are life and death points and these are not difficult to do, it’s straightforward,” John advised the Daily Express, “We have made really good progress so far, but we’ve had commitments to act but we really need the will to match the rhetoric now, we need these actions.

“It’s after all an extremely troublesome private course of for us to have to speak about these issues, to battle for these items we predict ought to be right here already as primary necessities for protected nurseries.

“There’s a real commitment to do these things in Genevieve’s name, and we are not going away, we are going to keep pushing for these changes to come in.

“When we converse to plenty of dad and mom, plenty of them are saying to us they anticipated the issues we’re campaigning for to be right here already, they cannot imagine they don’t seem to be… there’s a actual sense of concern, notably with this improve in nursery provision, it isn’t nearly getting numbers into the nurseries, it is about ensuring you do it safely.”

Tom Morrison, the Liberal Democrat MP for Cheadle, who has worked closely with the family, said he is torn between deep sadness and deep frustration that so little has changed since Gigi’s death to improve nursery safety.

“It’s devastating,” Mr Morrison stated. “John and Katie have been through something no parent should ever have to endure. I’ve been honoured to spend time with them, to hear about Gigi, and about the person she could have grown up to be.

“But what infuriates me is that they are still fighting to be heard by the government, and yet continue to see incidents like this happen across the country. If the Government cannot even keep our nurseries safe, then they are failing at the most basic level.”

A spokesperson for the Lullaby Trust, which helped start Campaign for Gigi, said: “Following the tragic dying of Genevieve Meehan, lovingly generally known as Gigi, while in nursery care, we launched the Campaign for Gigi.

“Together with Gigi’s parents, Katie and John, we are calling for urgent and necessary changes to protect other children and babies.

“The Campaign for Gigi has three foremost asks. We’re campaigning for the implementation of clear, statutory necessities on safer sleep in nursery settings, a strengthened Ofsted inspection course of, and necessary CCTV in nurseries.”