A nursery worker has been jailed for three years after she verbally abused four children in her care and threatened to kick one in the head.
Rebecca Gregory, 25, had pleaded guilty to four counts of wilfully assaulting, ill-treating, neglecting, abandoning or exposing a child in a manner likely to cause unnecessary suffering, Greater Manchester police (GMP) said.
Gregory was sentenced at Manchester Minshull Street crown court for what the force described as “deplorable offences of neglect against four young children”.
She was arrested at her home in November after an investigation into another nursery worker at Tiny Toes nursery in Cheadle Hulme, Stockport.
Kate Roughley, who worked at the same nursery, was jailed for 14 years in May this year for the manslaughter of nine-month-old Genevieve Meehan. The baby, known to her family as Gigi, died in May 2022 after being swaddled in a blanket and strapped face down to a beanbag in the baby room.
When police analysed CCTV from the nursery as part of the investigation, footage of Gregory showed her “verbally abusing and mishandling the children, pushing a child’s head down, roughly placing a child on the floor and threatening to kick a child in the head”, GMP said.
“On one occasion she swaddled a child so tightly that he couldn’t move. Seeing the child was visibly distressed, she forced his head down, preventing him from moving,” the force said. “On another occasion she swaddled a child tightly, telling him to ‘fucking go home’.”
GMP said it was “evident that Rebecca Gregory’s interactions with the children were callous and lacked proper care and compassion. She failed to adhere to the correct, safe and expected requirements and responsibility that comes with caring for young children.”
When presented with the evidence at interview, Gregory admitted her actions and claimed the nursery was understaffed, police said.
DC Natalie Pettit, of GMP, said after the sentencing: “This was a harrowing investigation which uncovered several unacceptable behaviours and practices at Tiny Toes nursery. We are pleased that Gregory will now have to face the consequences of her actions.
“Anyone who hears the details of this investigation cannot fail to be sickened by the careless actions of Rebecca Gregory. It was clear to see that there was a culture of not challenging inappropriate behaviour which ultimately placed several children who were under their care at risk of serious harm.”
Karen Tongue, a Crown Prosecution Service specialist prosecutor, said: “Rebecca Gregory was entrusted with the care of the youngest children in the nursery where she had worked for seven years.
“The CCTV footage from the nursery’s baby room showed several instances of Gregory ill-treating four young children in her care. The way she spoke to them was truly appalling and I have been shocked and saddened by the wilful ill-treatment of the children.”
