Nursery worker Kate Roughley has been found guilty of manslaughter following a four-week trial at Manchester Crown Square Crown Court.
The 37-year-old from Basil Street, Heaton Norris swaddled Genevieve Meehan, a nine-month-old baby, before placing her face down and strapped to a beanbag for more than 90 minutes at Tiny Toes Nursery in Stockport.
Roughley discovered Genevieve’s lifeless body on the afternoon of May 9, 2022. Attempts were made to revive her but she was pronounced dead later that day in hospital.
She denied her actions caused the death of Genevieve.
Sentencing will take place tomorrow.
Paying tribute to Genevieve (pictured), her family said: “It has been just over two years since our beautiful and wonderful daughter’s life was taken from her. Genevieve’s loss has destroyed our family. We grieve for her every day. We long desperately to see her smile, hear her laugh and feel her warm embrace. Her absence is a physical and emotional wound that will never heal.
“Genevieve wasn’t just a baby, she was a person. She loved to laugh, to play with her tambourine, to eat Spaghetti Bolognese and to be with her big sister. She was kind, affectionate, independent and mischievous. She was fascinated with the world and everything in it. She embraced every day. She loved life and we loved her instantly.
“We were amazed every day watching her grow and develop. She was such a strong person, bright and talented. To be in her presence was such joy.
“We will never accept the cruelty of her life being taken away. That we will not get to hear her speak her first words or watch her grow up is impossible to comprehend. Genevieve could have done anything she wanted to. She had her whole life to live and was loved so dearly by her family.
“We grieve for what we do not have. Words cannot adequately convey how much we miss Genevieve. We are so desperate for her to be in our arms as she should be and watching her put on her school uniform in September when she would have started pre-school.
“Instead, we are here in a place we could never have imagined when we took her to nursery that day on May 9, where she was meant to be safe and cared for. The pain of her loss is beyond any measure.
“We grieve for everything Genevieve has lost. Her life, that was so full of wonder and promise, was taken from her.
“We thank the police for their dedication to getting justice for Genevieve, for their professionalism and their compassion. We would not be here without their commitment or the work of the CPS and the legal team who have fought for Genevieve and our family.
“Our beautiful daughter deserves to be remembered for the wonderful person she is, not the nature of her death. She deserves to have a legacy so that her life can inspire others. As a family, we will work tirelessly to ensure she has the legacy she deserves.”
