The heartbroken family of an Edinburgh toddler who choked to death on a piece of mango at a nursery in the capital have released a statement, saying he was 'abandoned'.
10-month-old Fox Goulding had been eating pudding at the Bright Horizons Corstorphine Nursery in Edinburgh when the tragedy unfolded.
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Bright Horizons Family Solutions pled guilty today to failing to provide employees at the nursery with suitable instruction and supervision, to adequately control the risk of choking during mealtimes.
The investigation found a number of occasions between May 21 2019 and July 9 2019 when staff were involved with other tasks and not watching children eat.
Sentencing the company, Sheriff Wendy Sheehan said it had “systems in place” over the supervision of eating, but they were “not sufficiently adhered to or implemented”.
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And following on from this investigation and verdict, the family of Fox Goulding released a statement, stating that todays finding's are not a reward or 'act of triumph' for them.
Glen Millar a senior partner with Thompsons Solicitors represents the Goulding family and made this statement on their behalf.
The statement read: ‘’The Goulding family do not see today’s guilty plea as any form of triumph or something that gives them even the remotest sense of satisfaction.
"They remain today as they have since 9th July 2019; numb, and frankly disbelieving at the neglect that led to their beloved son Fox losing his young life.
"Fox was abandoned by professionals who had been entrusted with his care, flying in the face not only of the laws of health and safety but also principles of common sense and decency.
"The ultimate price was paid for that and, notwithstanding today’s conviction, it is the family who continue to have to deal with the aftermath.
"Whilst grateful to the Crown Office for their work, the family’s overriding feeling in respect to the outcome of the case is one of indifference.
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"No monetary fine could ever come close to reflecting their pain or adequately address the senseless loss of Fox. ‘’
Peter Gray QC, acting for Bright Horizons said the firm, which has 318 nurseries across the UK with 20 in Scotland, accepted that supervision policies at mealtimes were “not being implemented at all times”.
The court heard the Corstorphine nursery closed its doors and won’t reopen, while Bright Horizons reviewed its procedures and provided additional training to all Scottish staff.
Following the hearing, Ros Marshall, the firm’s managing director, said: “Our thoughts continue to be with Fox Goulding and his family. There are no words which are adequate to console them and we offer our heartfelt apologies.
“Our acceptance of responsibility today makes clear that the mealtime safety procedures we had in place at our Corstorphine Nursery in 2019 were not properly observed, with terrible consequences.”
