Nursery worker jailed after toddler restrained during nap time death
Nursery worker jailed after toddler restrained during nap time death
A nursery worker is jailed for gross negligence manslaughter after a 14-month-old boy died following nap-time restraint at a Dudley nursery; the owner received a suspended sentence and the business was fined.
A nursery worker has been jailed for gross negligence manslaughter over the death of a 14-month-old boy who was restrained during nap time at Fairytales Day Nursery in Dudley. CCTV shown in court depicted Noah Sibanda struggling in a sleeping pod, wrapped in blankets, with a leg across his lower back for seven minutes before staff believed he had fallen asleep and left him unmonitored for about two hours. He was found unresponsive at 3:15pm and died in hospital about an hour later.
Kimberley Cookson, 23, was sentenced to three years and four months in prison. Deborah Latewood, 55, the nursery owner, received a suspended sentence of six months in prison for a health and safety offence, and the nursery was fined £240,000 for corporate manslaughter and a health and safety offence.
Noah's mother, Masi Sibanda, told the court she feels guilty about handing her son over to people she trusted. The Bourne Street site is now closed.
Judge Justice Choudhury said the CCTV was shocking but stressed Cookson was not a rogue actor. The case underscores serious safeguarding failures in the early years sector.
The outcome sends a clear message about accountability in childcare settings and the consequences of negligence, as investigations and industry reviews continue in the West Midlands.
