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Red-faced: Lesley Thompson
Red-faced: Lesley Thompson

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Tears flow as childminder is named and shamed

by Cheryl Latham
30/ 4/2008

SHOCKED parents wept in court as a top Stockport childminder was named and shamed for assaulting babies in her care.

Lesley Thompson, 52, of Heaton Chapel - and a former chairman of Stockport Childminders Association - appeared at Stockport Magistrates Court on Monday, and pleaded guilty to four counts of common assault against children under five in her care.

As she admitted the charges, parents in the balcony were overcome with emotion - one pregnant mum in tears had to be consoled by her partner, as she heard the shocking evidence of how Thompson force-fed one of the infants.

The court was told that Thompson, who owned and ran the Home from Home Nursery on Rosedale Road, Heaton Chapel, and was a former governor of Broadstone Hall School, treated some of the tots harshly, smacking them and forcing food into one’s mouth.

Magistrates heard that over two months, Thompson, a registered childminder for 13 years had:

  • FORCED together the cheeks of a six month old baby girl, who cried as Thompson shoved food in her mouth and held her nose and chin together, making her swallow.

  • SMACKED a toddler three times on the bottom repeatedly saying with each slap ‘naughty, naughty, naughty boy’, after he trod on her foot.

  • THREW a phone in anger and stormed over to two 15-month-old toddlers who had spilled their drinks, forcing their sleeves up their arms, and smacking them.

Police began investigating in December after a work experience student from Stockport College who had been fulfilling a three month placement at the nursery became so concerned by what she saw she spoke to her teacher, and the pair of them went to the authorities.

Thompson’s nursery business closed days later.

Dressed in a smart black trouser suit, a red-faced Thompson spoke only to confirm her name, address and to make her guilty plea. Her solicitor apologised to the children on her behalf and said her contact with them had been ‘inappropriate’.

He said Thompson had been under "considerable pressure" and often had up to 15 children under the age of nine in her nursery at any one time.

Commenting on the case, however, a parent of a child in Thompson’s care told the Stockport Express: "I just can’t believe it. You trust these people by leaving your kids with them and they just abuse it. It’s a disgrace."

The last Ofsted report on Thompson as a childminder judged her to be good overall and outstanding in supporting children to make a positive contribution.

But now the court revelations have caused leading authorities on child care to reassure parents who use private nurseries. A spokesperson for Ofsted said: "This sort of behaviour is not acceptable and we do carry out extensive checks on all childminders registered with Ofsted.

"Before we register any childminder, we carry out Criminal Records Bureau checks and regularly visit the setting where childcare will take place to ensure it is a safe and suitable environment . Concerned parents can ask to see the certificate of registration if they are uncertain as to whether the childminder is registered or call 08456 404 040 to confirm whether or not a person is registered to act as a childminder."

A spokesperson for the National Childminding Association added: "We would like to reassure any parent who uses one of the 72,500 childminders in England and Wales that the vast majority of them provide a safe environment for the children in their care."

Click on the video window for Channel M's report ...


| Submit CommentSubmit Comments | View CommentsView Comments(4)


Most recent 2 of 4 user comments

   law student. I have 5 healthy minded children, all have probably been forced fed and smacked at sometime or other .This used to be allowed in schools with some disipline.They also taught us to spell.
rosie's regime, hazel grove
28/05/2008 at 13:44
   A 6 month old is only just learning to wean onto solids let alone be force fed! I am glad it was not my child or i'd of force fed her!
The Bear
3/05/2008 at 21:53
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