The family of baby killer Kate Roughley's ex-wife have revealed their shock after the nursery worker wasguilty of killing anine-month-old girl.
Roughley, who faces life imprisonment over the death of baby Genevieve Meehan after she was left strapped face down on a bean bag for over 90 minutes, was briefly married for less than six months.
Nevertheless, her ex-wife's family still think fondly of Roughley and were shocked to see the allegations she faces.
During a month-long trial, jurors heard Roughley displayed a 'lack of sympathy' towards children – labelling Genevieve 'vile' and told her to 'stop your whinging' before calling her a 'stress head'.
Speaking before the verdicts yesterday, Roughley's ex-wife's auntJanet Walsh, 59, said at her home in Chorley, Lancashire: 'We all thought Kate was a lovely girl. She was always welcoming and friendly to us, very bubbly and outgoing.'
Kate Roughley, 36, who has pleaded not guilty to manslaughter after the death of a nine-month-old baby following an incident at nursery
Nine-month-old Genevieve (pictured) was found dead at Tiny Toes nursery, in Cheadle, on the afternoon of May 9, 2022
John (left) and Katie Meehan (right) give a statement to the media outside Manchester Crown Court after Kate Roughley is found guilty of the manslaughter of their daughter Genevieve
'We did not have much to do with her but we went to the wedding. They weren't married for long, It just didn't work out.
'We didn't know her that well. But she was great with us. I cannot believe what she is accused of. It seems completely out of character.'
Roughley's ex-wife was unavailable for comment at her home in Greater Manchester.
Her family declined to reveal further details of the wedding or the couple's marriage, which is believed to have been in the last decade.
Genevieve suffocated at the Tiny Toes nursery in Cheadle, near Manchester, on May 9, 2022 after Roughley strapped Genevieve face down on a bean bag, covering her with a blanket and leaving her for more than 90 minutes.
Prosecutors said the 37-year-old displayed a 'lack of sympathy' towards children. CCTV showed her ignoring the baby's crying and desperate last movements as she struggled to survive while tightly strapped to the bean bag.
Roughley, who had 17 years' experience as a nursery worker but no children of her own, then lied to cover up what she had done, claiming that she constantly checked on babies in her care.
The prosecution said her 'deliberate conduct', 'ill-treatment' and 'lack of any effective monitoring' caused the death of Genevieve, known affectionately by her parents as 'Gigi'.
Roughley (pictured( had risen to become deputy manager at Tiny Toes nursery in Stockport after 17 years in childcare
Genevieve Meehan (pictured) was strapped face down onto a bean bag for more than an hour-and-a-half
John and Katie Meehan, the parents of Genevieve, outside Manchester Crown Court on Monday
Jurors returned their guilty verdict after a month-long trial at Manchester Crown Court.
The judge, Mrs Justice Ellenbogen, adjourned sentencing until tomorrow and Roughley, who faces a possible life term, was remanded in custody.
Outside court, Mr Meehan, 38, stood with his tearful solicitor wife Katie, 39, paying tribute to their daughter – and attacking Roughley for putting them through the ordeal of a trial 'when she knew what she had done'.
He described Genevieve's life as one of 'promise and wonder', adding: 'We'll never accept the cruelty of her life being taken away.
'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 wound that will never heal.
'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… where she was meant to be safe and cared for. The pain of her loss is beyond any measure.'
The Meehans, who have an older daughter, said they did not want to see Genevieve defined by the manner of her death and that she 'deserves to be remembered for the wonderful person she was'.
On the day of the tragedy, deputy manager Roughley was acting as leader in the nursery's understaffed baby room where she was one of only two workers looking after 11 infants.
Genevieve Meehanwas also tightly swaddled and covered with a blanket, the court heard
Genevieve was left 'virtually immobilised' from 1.35pm to 3.12pm, CCTV footage revealed
Katie Meehan, Genevieve's mother, cries while her husband makes a statement outside Manchester Crown Court on Monday
Kate Roughley (left) arrives at Manchester Crown Court last Friday with her parents
Genevieve had been dropped off by her parents at 9am and was found unresponsive at 3.12pm. She could not be revived and was pronounced dead in hospital.
Tiny Toes, which has since closed, had been run since 2016 by Franck Pelle, 59, his wife Karen, 66, and their daughter Grace, 29. They were unavailable for comment.
The week before Genevieve's death, Roughley posted a cryptic message on her Facebook page: 'Sometimes I feel bad for not calling or checking up on people but then I realize [sic] the phone works both ways and there ain't nobody checking up on me.'
Stockport Council, which covers Cheadle, said it would be investigating the nursery under responsibilities 'set out by the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 in respect of any accident or death in a childcare setting'.
The authority confirmed it has been working with Greater Manchester Police since 2022.
Roughley lived for over a decade in a suburb of Stockport with her partner. Neighbours said she had been living her wife, but the two had split less than six months after their wedding.
Roughley is thought to have worked at a local supermarket after Tiny Toes nursery closed.
