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Former school governor Lesley Thompson
Smacking shame of childminder
Cheryl Latham29/ 4/2008
A RESPECTED childminder has admitted assault after she force fed a baby and smacked another child in her care.
Former school governor Lesley Thompson, 52, was reported to police by a work experience student shocked by her violent behaviour. Magistrates were told how over two months she:
- FORCED together the cheeks of a six-month-old girl, squashed food in her mouth and held her nose.
- SMACKED a toddler three times on the bottom after he trod on her foot.
- STORMED over to two 15-month-old boys who had spilt drinks, pushed up their sleeves and smacked them on the backs of their hands.
Police began their investigation in December and Thompson's childminding business Home from Home, which she ran from her home in Heaton Chapel, Stockport, closed days later.
Mrs Thompson, of Rosedale Road, pleaded guilty to four counts of common assault on minors in her care when she appeared at Stockport Magistrates' Court.
Her lawyer apologised to the children on her behalf and said that she knew that her contact with them had been inappropriate.
He said that Thompson had been under `considerable pressure' and often cared for up to 15 children under the age of nine at any one time.
She is a former chair of the Borough of Stockport Childminding Association, a former governor at Broadstone Primary School, Heaton Chapel, and was well known to Stockport council.
One parent, who did not wish to be named, said they were `disgusted' by what had happened.
She added: "You put your children into this woman's care and this is what happens. It's an absolute disgrace."
A fellow childminder who knew Thompson described her as `extremely domin- eering'.
She added: "I have to say that she was the type of childminder who we weren't that surprised to hear had done this."
In Thompson's last childminding report, inspectors from Ofsted judged her to be `good' overall and `out- standing' in supporting children to make a `positive contribution'."
She was bailed and will be sentenced on May 20.
When he was approached at their home, Thompson's husband refused to comment.
For more on this story see Wednesday's Stopckport Express
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29/04/2008 at 17:23
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