Fairytales Day Nursery Limited has admitted to corporate manslaughter in connection with the suffocation death of a 14-month-old boy who was physically restrained while being put to sleep, according to court proceedings.
Noah Sibanda died oafter staff at the Dudley-based nursery placed him face down on a cushion, wrapped him tightly in a sleeping bag, and placed a blanket over his head. The case highlights systemic failures in childcare safety, culminating in guilty pleas from the nursery corporation, its director, and a practitioner.
According to prosecutors, CCTV footage showed 23-year-old nursery practitioner Kimberley Cookson appearing to force the child to sleep against his will, at one point placing a leg over him. After an unspecified period, staff noticed the toddler had stopped breathing, and emergency services were called. Noah was pronounced dead at a hospital.
During a hearing at Wolverhampton Crown Court, Fairytales Day Nursery Limited pleaded guilty to corporate manslaughter and an offence under the Health and Safety at Work Act. Cookson had previously pleaded guilty to gross negligence manslaughter.
Additionally, 55-year-old Deborah Latewood, the nursery's director and business owner, admitted to a Health and Safety at Work Act offense. Latewood stated she was unaware that children were being subjected to such dangerous sleeping methods at the facility.
Alex Johnson of the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) described the incident as the result of "reckless and dangerous sleeping practices" that posed a severe risk of harm. Johnson stated that CCTV and expert medical findings demonstrated the child was placed in a suffocating environment "from which a 14-month-old child was clearly unable to escape."
"Fairytales Day Nursery Limited has now accepted criminal responsibility for the systemic failures that led to this tragedy, and Deborah Latewood has also acknowledged that the failings occurred under her management and oversight," Johnson said in a public statement.
The defendants are scheduled to be sentenced at Wolverhampton Crown Court on April 16. - Zimbo LIVE London
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