Amanda Byrne sank her teeth into the boy’s arm at Little Stars Nursery in Erith, southeast London, on November 24 last year. When his parents picked him up that evening, they were told the bite marks were from the child biting himself in frustration.
The next day, the nursery’s safeguarding lead called to say another member of staff had reported the manager for causing the marks. The boy’s father said: “We were absolutely mortified, just in a state of shock that somebody with that responsibility would do that.”
“Nursery manager Amanda Byrne, 57, bit a boy's arm and lied; she received a suspended sentence.”
Byrne, 57, of Barnehurst Avenue, pleaded guilty to assault at Bromley Magistrates’ Court on May 21. She was given a six-month prison sentence, suspended for one year, and ordered to pay £500 compensation and complete 20 days of rehabilitation activities.
The boy’s mother said: “We put our trust in her. She was somebody we had quite a lot of respect for, so when we found out it was Mandy we were just gobsmacked.”
The incident was reported to police and regulator Ofsted, which suspended the nursery from operating on November 26, two days after the bite. The nursery never re-opened after the provider resigned its registration. Google lists Little Stars Nursery as permanently closed.
“A defenceless child, and that’s all she gets? It’s disgusting,” the boy’s father said. “We both feel that justice hasn’t been served. It’s put us through hell. This is one of the most difficult patches we’ve had in our lives, dealing with this.”
Despite the outcome, the parents said they are very thankful for the staff who reported Byrne. “If it wasn’t for them, we would never have known, and she would still be looking after kids,” the father added.