Woman, 25, who worked at Tiny Toes nursery where nine-month-old baby girl died is jailed for threatening to ‘knock out’ defenceless child

A nursery worker jailed for threatening to ‘knock out’ a child is the best friend of a baby killer who worked at the same care centre, the Mail can reveal.

Rebecca Gregory, 25, was locked up for three years today after she admitted mistreating four children at the Tiny Toes nursery in Cheadle Hulme, Greater Manchester.

It can now be revealed that she is the closest friend of baby killer Kate Roughley who tied an infant down to a bean bag until they suffocated at the same nursery.

Speaking to the Mail after Roughley was jailed, Gregory’s mother Caroline, said: ‘Becca is not allowed to be in touch with (Roughley). 

‘She’s is not going to talk to anyone about Kate because they were best friends and for last two years they are not even allowed to speak, communicate so she is not going to talk to anyone.’

Kate Roughley was convicted of killing Genevieve Meehan at Manchester Crown Court

Caroline also criticised the nursery saying there was not enough staff to help. 

‘What Kate has done is wrong, fair enough, but the nursery needs to be held accountable now,’ she said.

‘What that nursery has done is destroy not only that baby’s life but the lives of the girls who worked there.

‘They worked their butts off for that nursery and the staff have gone “it’s nothing to do with us”.’  

At Manchester’s Minshull Street Crown Court today, Gregory wept in the dock clutching onto a tissue as the details of her offences against four youngsters were laid bare.

The court heard she swaddled the four ‘vulnerable’ victims, putting one child face down while he had a dummy in his mouth and ‘threatening to kick’ another.

Tom Challinor, prosecuting, said Gregory was seen mistreating the children on CCTV, which was being reviewed by officers conducting investigations into the death of Genevieve.

He said it showed the ‘rough and aggressive’ handling of four children who were put in ‘dangerous positions’ when being put down to sleep. The victims can not be identified for legal reasons.

Mr Challinor said in respect of the first victim, a girl, that Gregory ‘swaddled’ her in a blanket before placing her face down on a mat, with another blanket used to cover her head. He said she would’ve been aware of the ‘inherent dangers’ of doing so due to her training.

Over the next 30 minutes, as seen on CCTV footage played to court, the little girl ‘would not settle’. Gregory became ‘annoyed and angry’ and ‘threatened to knock the child out’ before forcing her head back down on the mat, the court heard.

Tiny Toes nursery where Rebecca Gregory and Kate Roughley worked together in Manchester

Later on, with the baby still not sleeping, Gregory then grabbed the corner of the blanket she was wrapped in and pulled it, sending the tot ‘spinning’ and landing onto the floor.

A second child was also swaddled and placed face down in the kitchen area beside the baby room, the court was told. CCTV footage of the incident was also played in court.

Gregory became ‘angry and annoyed’ as he continued to cry, before ‘threatening to kick him’, Mr Challinor said. He was later unwrapped from the blanket and ‘dumped’ onto the floor, where he fell onto his face.

Later, after being placed into a cot, Gregory could be heard saying ‘what the f*ck are you doing kid?’ before he was ‘dumped’ onto a mat and left in a ‘distressed’ state.

The third victim was told by Gregory to ‘shut up’ before his head hit the floor as he was laid down to be swaddled, Mr Challinor told the court.

Gregory then ‘marched him to a cot’, the court heard. The ‘mistreatment’ of the tot continued into the afternoon, as she was heard saying: “What is the point in your existence?” as the baby boy lay crying.

As she changed him into his top before being picked up at the end of the day, Gregory could be then heard on footage saying “Put your arm through and f***ing go home.” She was seen ‘dumping’ him on the floor in the kitchen area.

And in respect of the fourth baby, also a little boy, Gregory ‘roughly picked up off the floor’, ‘swinging his body’ before she ‘rammed’ him into a highchair, causing him to cry, the court was told.

Again, she wrapped him in a blanket, placing a dummy in his mouth and was heard saying: “Put that in your gob and shut up.”

She then placed him face down on a mat and covered his face with a blanket. When he tried to lift his head, she ‘forced’ it back down before ‘leaning on the child with her thigh’, the court heard.

Later in the day, Gregory was caught moving him from the nappy changing area to a cot. As she put him down she was heard shouting: “Do me a fecking favour and don’t wake up until you go home,” and: “What are you doing? Pack it in.”

 Gregory jailed for three years can be revealed to be the best friend of a baby killer 

On November 14 last year, Gregory was arrested at her home. When presented with the evidence in her interview, she admitted her actions against the children, claiming the nursery was understaffed.

Gregory pleaded guilty to four counts of wilfully assaulting, ill-treating, neglecting, abandoning, or exposing a child in a manner likely to cause unnecessary suffering.

Milena Bennett, mitigating, said that Gregory’s behaviour was ‘out of character’. She claimed that the nursery worker had complained about staffing levels but had been ‘knocked back’. Her disappointment had taken over and she directed it at the children she was supposed to be looking after,” her barrister said.

Ms Bennett said: “It was out of character. She became in such a temper; watching the video herself, she said she could not believe it was her. She could not recognise herself.”

Noting that the offences were all recorded on the same day, Ms Bennett added: ‘There is nothing to show this was a pattern of behaviour by Miss Gregory. She is extremely remorseful.’

Gregory, who was 22 at the time of the incidents, cares for her legally deaf and blind mum and her autistic brother. She was jailed for three years.

Sentencing, Judge Tina Landale said: ‘By the time of your offences you had seven years of experience. You were trusted by the parents who left their precious children in your care, to look after babies safely and kindly.

‘The offences against these four babies were committed in the baby room where you had worked for two years Rather than treat them kindly and safely, you were abusive and neglectful, exposing them to the risk of serious harm.

‘It is clear that you did not care for these babies. You displayed a persistent course of conduct when you did not think you were being observed. These babies were particularly vulnerable because they could not communicate their distress.’

The case comes after former colleague Roughley was jailed for 14 years in May when she was found guilty of the manslaughter of Genevieve Meehan.

Genevieve Meehan died when she was tied down to a bean bag at the Tiny Toes nursery 

Her trial was told that the owners of Tiny Toes – who live in a £1million house in the Cheshire countryside – were making an ‘awful lot of money’ while the nursery had too many children and not enough staff.

Stockport Council has said it is to carry out an investigation into possible health and safety failings at the centre, which has subsequently closed down.

Genevieve died in May 2022 after being left on a bean bag for more than 90 minutes by Roughley, who had risen to become deputy manager.

Police seized CCTV as part of their investigation, leading to the exposure of colleague Gregory’s own cruelty towards babies, Minshull Street Crown Court in Manchester heard.

Roughley denied charges of manslaughter and child cruelty but a jury found her guilty after a five-week trial at Manchester Crown Court.