A nursery worker from Heaton Norris has been sentenced to 14 years in prison, after she was found guilty of the manslaughter of a nine-month-old baby.

Kate Roughley had left baby Genevieve in 'mortal danger', by putting her in a "very unsafe sleeping environment" on a bean bag at Cheadle Hulme's Tiny Toes nursery.

Genevieve died from asphyxiation at the nursery on 9 May 2022, which was closed soon after. The building is now owned and managed by a different company.

At the sentencing, Mrs Justice Ellenbogen KC said to Roughley that her actions had deprived Genevieve's family of "their sunny, funny little girl".

She added: "By your callous act you have deprived her of the future she would have had and left a void in their lives.”

Detective Inspector Charlotte Whalley, the Senior Investigating Officer for this case said: "Genevieve was so young when her life was so cruelly taken from her, at the hands of a callous and negligent individual. Genevieve should have gone home to her family that day and it was down to the actions of Kate Roughley that she did not.

"At the heart of our investigation is a family whose lives have been torn apart, siblings who will grow up without their sister, parents who will bear the pain of her loss for the rest of their lives, and loved ones who will never get to watch Gigi grow and flourish."

Tiny Toes nursery closed in the months after baby Genevieve's death. A new nursery now owns and manages the building (Image - SWNS)

Paying tribute to baby Genevieve, her family said: "It has been just over two years since our beautiful and wonderful daughter's life was taken from her. Genevieve's loss has destroyed our family. We grieve for her every day. 

"We long desperately to see her smile, hear her laugh and feel her warm embrace. Her absence is a physical and emotional wound that will never heal.

"Genevieve wasn't just a baby, she was a person. She loved to laugh, to play with her tambourine, to eat Spaghetti Bolognese and to be with her big sister. She was kind, affectionate, independent and mischievous. 

"She was fascinated with the world and everything in it. She embraced every day. She loved life and we loved her instantly.

"We will never accept the cruelty of her life being taken away. That we will not get to hear her speak her first words or watch her grow up is impossible to comprehend. 

"Genevieve could have done anything she wanted to. She had her whole life to live and was loved so dearly by her family.

"We grieve for what we do not have. Words cannot adequately convey how much we miss Genevieve. We are so desperate for her to be in our arms as she should be and watching her put on her school uniform in September when she would have started pre-school. 

"Instead, we are here in a place we could never have imagined when we took her to nursery that day on 9 May where she was meant to be safe and cared for. The pain of her loss is beyond any measure.

"We grieve for everything Genevieve has lost. Her life, that was so full of wonder and promise, was taken from her.

"Our beautiful daughter deserves to be remembered for the wonderful person she is, not the nature of her death. She deserves to have a legacy so that her life can inspire others. As a family, we will work tirelessly to ensure she has the legacy she deserves."