Nursery Pleads Guilty in Noah's Death

0:00On March 26, a nursery in Dudley in its owner had pleaded guilty in connection with the death of 14 month old Noah Sabanda back on December 9, 2022. The boy passed away after an incident at Fairy Tales Day nursery, where staff failed to put him down safely for a nap in the baby room. Earlier this week at Wolverhampton Crown Court, the company and director Deborah Latewood switched their pleas from not guilty to guilty on charges. Under the Health and Safety of Work Act, they had originally denied corporate manslaughter, but accepted the case on the basis of neglect. The tragedy led to the nursery shutting down permanently, with Off-Stead pulling its registration last April because it was no longer fit to operate. A 23-year-old nursery worker, Kimberly Cookson, had already admitted gross negligence manslaughter in Noah's death. Prosecutors noted some shifts in responsibility between the company and Latewood, who was 54. The defense agreed the case crosses the custody threshold and requested a pre-sentence report while the company is now in liquidation.

1:04All three, Latewood Cookson and the company remain on bail until sentencing on April 16, when the court will review accounts and decide, punishments.