Mother tells nursery ‘cruelty’ trial of son’s aversion to food
THE trial of staff from a nursery accused of mistreating youngsters has heard from parents whose children attended the centre.
The owner and two members of staff from Bright Sparks in Port Talbot face a total of nine charges of child cruelty, including restraining and force-feeding youngsters in their care – charges they deny.
Swansea Crown Court heard evidence from parents whose children had attended the Taibach business.
One mother – who cannot be named to protect the identity of the child – told the court about dramatic changes in her son’s eating habits when he attended the nursery.
She said her son had been weaned on to solid foods early and “would eat anything put in front of him”. But during October and November of 2015 he stopped eating and would start “screaming” if she tried to give him food.
She told the court that in the year since the nursery closed her son’s eating had largely returned to what it had been before, but that he still had a “trigger food” – mashed potato – which made him gag and which he refused to eat.
Barrister Steve Donnolly, for Bright Sparks owner Katie Davies, asked the witness about a statement she had prepared for a Care and Social Services Inspectorate Wales tribunal into the activities at the nursery, in which she had praised the facilities and staff – but which she had withdrawn on the eve of the hearing.
The witness said that statement was made before police alerted her to the criminal investigation.
She added: “When I made that statement, I had no idea my child was part of the investigation.”
She said that when she heard the details of the allegations about children being force-fed at the nursery, the changes in her son’s eating habits “slotted into place” for the family.
The barrister then asked whether or not she had believed the allegations about the nursery the police had told her about.
She replied: “When you have a police officer in your house telling you the allegations, of course you believe them.”
Mr Donnolly asked her: “Nothing in your change of opinion is down to anything you have personal experience of? The change is down to a police officer coming to your house and telling you about allegations made by others?” The witness said that was correct. When asked if she would have continued sending her son to the nursery had it not closed down in March last year, the witness replied “yes”.
Mr Donnolly asked her: “Were you put under pressure to withdraw the statement? Were you put under pressure to become a witness for the prosecution?” The mother replied “no”. Thirty-two-year-old Katie Davies, of King Street, Port Talbot, faces one joint charge of restraining and forcefeeding a child.
Thirty-one-year-old Christina Pinchess, of Brynna Road, Cwmavon, faces seven charges, one of them jointly, of force-feeding a child, covering a child’s mouth with her hand to stop it crying, and picking up a child by its wrists.
Twenty-two-year-old Shelbie Forgan, of Mariners Point, Port Talbot, faces one charge of picking up a child by its wrists, and a joint charge of restraining and force-feeding a child.
The three defendants deny all the allegations against them.
The trial continues.