Parents of baby girl killed at nursery fear unsafe sleeping ‘rife’ in sector across England

Katie and John Meehan say responses to campaign they launched after death of daughter Genevieve must be ‘wake-up call’ The parents of a nine-month-old girl who died after being placed in an unsafe sleeping position at nursery said they feared poor practice may be “rife” across England. Genevieve Meehan suffocated when she was strapped face down to a beanbag for an hour and 37 minutes at a nursery in Cheadle Hulme, Stockport, in May 2022. Kate Roughley, the nursery’s deputy manager, was jailed for 14 years in 2024 after being found guilty of manslaughter. One of Roughley’s colleagues was later jailed for the “deplorable” treatment of other babies in her care. Genevieve’s parents, Katie and John Meehan, have led a campaign with the charity the Lullaby Trust to strengthen safety and regulation of nurseries after a series of high-profile abuses.

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