Woman pleads guilty to manslaughter over death of toddler at Dudley nursery
A woman has admitted the manslaughter of a toddler who died at a nursery in Dudley.
Kimberley Cookson, 22, who was a nursery practitioner, and Deborah Latewood, 54, who was the director and business owner of Fairytales Day Nursery in Bourne Street, Dudley, face charges in connection with the death of 14-month-old Noah Sibanda.
Noah died following an incident at the nursery in Bourne Street, Dudley on 9 December 2022.
The pair appeared at Wolverhampton Crown Court this morning (Tuesday 10 June) to enter their pleas.
Kimberley Cookson pleaded guilty to one count of gross negligence manslaughter.
Fairytales Nursery Limited pleaded not guilty to one count of corporate manslaughter and failing to comply with a duty under the Health and Safety at Work Act.
The nursery is no longer in operation and the registration was suspended by Ofsted who believed children may be at risk of harm.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
North Wales Chronicle
3 days ago
- North Wales Chronicle
Nursery worker admits manslaughter after death of 14-month-old boy
Kimberley Cookson, 22, appeared at Wolverhampton Crown Court on Tuesday and pleaded guilty to one count of gross negligence manslaughter following the death of Noah Sibanda, who died after an incident at Dudley's Fairytales Day Nursery on December 9 2022. Business owner Deborah Latewood, 54, appeared alongside Cookson in the dock and pleaded not guilty to failing to comply with a duty under the Health and Safety at Work Act to ensure that Noah and others were not exposed to risk between November 29 and December 9 2022. A plea of not guilty was entered on behalf of the firm which ran the now-closed nursery, based in Bourne Street, to one count of corporate manslaughter, including an alleged failure to ensure that children in the baby room were put down to sleep in a safe way, failure to ensure that staff were adequately trained to put babies down to sleep and failure to ensure staff were adequately supervised while doing so. The company also pleaded not guilty to failing to comply with a duty under the Health and Safety at Work Act to ensure that Noah and others were not exposed to risk between November 29 and December 9 2022. Cookson, who wore a green shirt, and Latewood, who wore a white shirt and a grey blazer, spoke only to confirm their date of birth and to enter their pleas in front of the courtroom, which was packed with members of Noah's family and supporters of the defendants. Judge Michael Chambers KC said Latewood and the company would face a trial, likely to be in 2026, but did not set a date. Cookson will be sentenced upon conclusion of the trial, which is expected to last three weeks and both Cookson and Latewood were released on unconditional bail until the next hearing. Judge Chambers said: 'In your case, Kimberley Cookson, you have had the courage to plead guilty and will get the appropriate credit for that plea. 'I am adjourning your sentencing until the conclusion of the trial, so the judge will have all the facts of the case.' He warned both defendants that if they did not appear for their trial, they could face further criminal proceedings. A pre-trial review hearing was set for December 5.
Leader Live
3 days ago
- Leader Live
Nursery worker admits manslaughter after death of 14-month-old boy
Kimberley Cookson, 22, appeared at Wolverhampton Crown Court on Tuesday and pleaded guilty to one count of gross negligence manslaughter following the death of Noah Sibanda, who died after an incident at Dudley's Fairytales Day Nursery on December 9 2022. Business owner Deborah Latewood, 54, appeared alongside Cookson in the dock and pleaded not guilty to failing to comply with a duty under the Health and Safety at Work Act to ensure that Noah and others were not exposed to risk between November 29 and December 9 2022. A plea of not guilty was entered on behalf of the firm which ran the now-closed nursery, based in Bourne Street, to one count of corporate manslaughter, including an alleged failure to ensure that children in the baby room were put down to sleep in a safe way, failure to ensure that staff were adequately trained to put babies down to sleep and failure to ensure staff were adequately supervised while doing so. The company also pleaded not guilty to failing to comply with a duty under the Health and Safety at Work Act to ensure that Noah and others were not exposed to risk between November 29 and December 9 2022. Cookson, who wore a green shirt, and Latewood, who wore a white shirt and a grey blazer, spoke only to confirm their date of birth and to enter their pleas in front of the courtroom, which was packed with members of Noah's family and supporters of the defendants. Judge Michael Chambers KC said Latewood and the company would face a trial, likely to be in 2026, but did not set a date. Cookson will be sentenced upon conclusion of the trial, which is expected to last three weeks and both Cookson and Latewood were released on unconditional bail until the next hearing. Judge Chambers said: 'In your case, Kimberley Cookson, you have had the courage to plead guilty and will get the appropriate credit for that plea. 'I am adjourning your sentencing until the conclusion of the trial, so the judge will have all the facts of the case.' He warned both defendants that if they did not appear for their trial, they could face further criminal proceedings. A pre-trial review hearing was set for December 5.
Daily Record
3 days ago
- Daily Record
Nursery worker admits manslaughter after death of 14-month-old baby
Noah Sibanda died after an incident at Dudley's Fairytales Day Nursery on December 9, 2022. A nursery worker has admitted to manslaughter following the death of a 14-month-old baby. Kimberley Cookson admitted one count of gross negligence manslaughter in connection with the death of Noah Sibanda. The tot died after an incident at Dudley's Fairytales Day Nursery on December 9, 2022, The Mirror reports. Cookson, 22, appeared at Wolverhampton Crown Court, alongside business owner Deborah Latewood, 54, on Tuesday. Latewood pleaded not guilty to failing to comply with a duty under the Health and Safety at Work Act to ensure that Noah and others were not exposed to risk between November 29 and December 9, 2022. A plea of not guilty was also entered on behalf of the firm which ran the now-closed nursery, to one count of corporate manslaughter, including an alleged failure to ensure that children in the baby room were put down to sleep in a safe way, failure to ensure that staff were adequately trained to put babies down to sleep and failure to ensure staff were adequately supervised while doing so. The firm also pleaded not guilty to failing to comply with a duty under the Health and Safety at Work Act to ensure that Noah and others were not exposed to risk between November 29 and December 9 2022. Cookson and Latewood spoke only to confirm their date of birth and to enter their pleas in front of the courtroom, which was packed with members of Noah's family and supporters of the defendants. Judge Michael Chambers KC said Latewood and the company would face a trial, likely to be in 2026, but did not set a date. Cookson will be sentenced upon conclusion of the trial, which is expected to last three weeks and both Cookson and Latewood were released on unconditional bail until the next hearing. Judge Chambers said: 'In your case, Kimberley Cookson, you have had the courage to plead guilty and will get the appropriate credit for that plea. "I am adjourning your sentencing until the conclusion of the trial, so the judge will have all the facts of the case.' He warned both defendants that if they did not appear for their trial, they could face further criminal proceedings. A pre-trial review hearing was set for December 5.
