Stockport nursery tragedy: An 'unsafe sleeping environment' responsible for baby's death

In the second week of the trial at Manchester Crown Court, the jury has heard from pathologist Dr Philip Lumb, who carried out the post-mortem examination of nine-month-old Genevieve Meehan, who died on 9 May 2022.

He told the court her sleeping arrangements were, in his opinion, ‘responsible for her death’.

Manchester Crown Court previously heard how Genevieve was strapped on to a beanbag on her front to sleep for 90 minutes while in the care of Tiny Toes Nursery in Cheadle Hulme.

Dr Lumb said Genevieve died from a combination of ‘asphyxiation and the pathophysiological stress’ of the sleeping environment.

The jury heard it would have been a ‘struggle’ for the nine-month-old to breathe in the position she was placed in.

He told the jury that he believed Genevieve died from ‘asphyxia imparted by upper airway obstruction’ and added that the stress of struggling to breathe and overheating led to her death.

The court was also shown footage from a police officer’s body camera at the nursery on the day of Genevive’s death.

Kate Roughley, who denies manslaughter and an alternative count of child cruelty, was seen telling the police officer she was ‘obviously constantly checking’ the babies in her care and had gone ‘every three to four minutes’.

She said she had been checking more often on Genevieve as she had recently been in hospital with bronchiolitis, a chest condition common in infants.

The case continues.