Latest news with #childsafety
Fox News
an hour ago
- Fox News
Florida dad arrested after toddler dies in hot car while he allegedly got hair cut, 'went drinking': police
A Florida dad was arrested on Thursday in connection with the death of his toddler, who was left inside a hot car earlier this month while he got a haircut and a drink, according to law enforcement. Scott Allen Gardner, 33, was charged with aggravated manslaughter of a child and child neglect causing great bodily harm in the death of his 18-month-old son Sebastian, the Volusia Sheriff's Office said. Officers with the Ormond Beach Police Department assisted in Gardner's arrest. Gardner's son was "left helpless in a hot truck for more than three hours" during the afternoon of June 6 while he got a haircut and "went drinking inside Hanky Panky's Lounge," the sheriff's office said, adding that medical personnel estimated that the toddler's body temperature reached 111 degrees. The sheriff's office also said Gardner gave "multiple false accounts" of what took place on the day Sebastian died. Gardner, who was taken into custody at his mother's home in Ormond Beach, was handcuffed by the same Ormond Beach officer who tried to revive his son. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said to "never leave a child in a vehicle unattended for any length of time" and that "rolling windows down or parking in the shade does little to change the interior temperature of the vehicle." "A child's body temperature rises three to five times faster than an adult's. When a child is left in a vehicle, that child's temperature can rise quickly – and the situation can quickly become dangerous," according to the NHTSA. "In 2024, 39 children died of heatstroke in vehicles — up 35% from 2023," according to a report on the agency's website. Sebastian is the seventh hot car death this year and the 115th child in Florida to die in a hot car, the National Security Council's website said.
The Guardian
3 hours ago
- The Guardian
‘It's life and death': parents of baby killed at nursery call for for mandatory CCTV
The weekend before Genevieve Meehan died was one of the best of her short life. The nine-month-old with the beaming smile and emerald eyes was leaping through her milestones: she had taken her first tentative steps, hands clasped to her mother's, and said her first word: 'Dadda'. She tried on sunglasses and a swimsuit for their first family holiday two months later. The following morning, Genevieve's mother, Katie Wheeler, took her to Tiny Toes nursery for only her second full day. Wheeler told staff that Gigi, as she was known, had been a bit 'snotty' but was otherwise fine. And with a goodbye, she said: 'I love you, sweetie.' Just over seven hours later, Genevieve was pronounced dead. In what was supposed to be the safest place in the world, she had been strapped face down to a beanbag for an hour and 37 minutes and her cries of distress ignored. She was eventually found lifeless and blue, having died of suffocation. Kate Roughley, the deputy manager of the nursery in Cheadle Hulme, Stockport, was last year found guilty of manslaughter and jailed for 14 years after a trial at Manchester crown court. But the fight for justice continues. In their first national newspaper interview, Genevieve's parents said they had been left distressed and shocked by what they had learned since – about the practices of that nursery but also wider 'systemic' safety lapses they believed risked further tragedies in early years settings across the country. John Meehan, Genevieve's father, said his daughter's killer would not have been convicted without CCTV footage, which they are now campaigning to be made mandatory in nurseries. Video played in court showed Roughley impatiently handling the baby girl before she died, muttering: 'Vile' and singing: 'Oh Genevieve. Genevieve go home, Genevieve go home, go home Genevieve,' as the she cried on the play mat. The CCTV also disproved the nursery worker's claim that she had checked on Genevieve every couple of minutes. And it later led to the conviction of one of Roughley's colleagues, Rebecca Gregory, for the 'deplorable' neglect of four other babies. An ongoing health and safety inquiry could result in further prosecutions. 'But for the CCTV, we would have had absolutely no way of knowing about the way Genevieve was placed on a beanbag, about the infrequency of the checks, or about the general conduct towards Genevieve on the day. We really only got an answer because of the CCTV,' said Meehan, 39. This week, Roksana Lecka, 22, was convicted of abusing 21 babies at a nursery in Twickenham, south-west London, after footage showed the worker pinching and scratching children and kicking one boy in the face. In that case, as Genevieve's, CCTV was essential to the prosecution. Meehan said: 'Many responsible nurseries are already using CCTV very effectively, so all we're saying is to make it so that all nurseries have it. It's good for the nursery, it's good for the parents, it's good for Ofsted.' Figures obtained by the BBC last year, and described by the couple as 'horrifying', show there were almost 20,000 reports of serious childcare incidents in England's nurseries in the five years to March 2024 – up 40% on the previous five-year period. The law firm Farleys Solicitors has said the number of legal claims involving injuries to children in nurseries had increased tenfold over the past decade. Wheeler, 40, said Ofsted should be given greater powers to undertake more frequent announced and unannounced inspections of nurseries. At present, the regulator is only obliged to inspect nurseries in England once every six years, compared with once every four academic years for schools. Tiny Toes nursery, where Genevieve was killed, was rated 'good' by Ofsted five years earlier but the trial heard evidence suggesting it was run 'shockingly'. On the day Genevieve died, Roughley was only one of two members of staff looking after 11 babies. The previous weekday there were 16 babies – far in excess of the one-to-three ratio for under-twos in England. 'I think the system definitely fails parents,' said Wheeler, who wants Ofsted to increase its number of unannounced inspections – which it only does currently when a specific concern has been raised – and review CCTV when it is available. 'You're never going to get a true snapshot of what a place is like and how safe it is unless you go out on a no-notice inspection and when you look at it regularly. A lot changes over six years. It's life and death – and it's not overstating it to say that.' Life without Genevieve is 'agonisingly painful,' Wheeler said, describing the nine-month-old who relished her world full of cuddles, singing, dancing, food, her favourite green toy tambourine and 'her everything': her big sister, who is now nine. The parents are planning to meet Labour's early education minister, Stephen Morgan, later this month to press for improved safety in nurseries, including CCTV, more Ofsted inspections and a new legal framework to ban unsafe sleep practices, supported by the Lullaby Trust. Failing to enact the changes, Meehan said, risked further tragedies: 'There could be more deaths. There is absolutely that risk.' The Department for Education said it was boosting safety in nurses with new measures from September strengthening whistleblowing and recruitment, but that it would closely monitor whether further changes were needed. It added: 'Genevieve's death was a tragedy and should never have happened. This government is committed to doing everything possible keep children safe, as part of our mission to break down barriers to opportunity and give every child the best start in life.' Ofsted said it would be inappropriate to comment during ongoing investigations but that 'our thoughts remain with Genevieve's family and we are deeply sorry for their loss'.
CTV News
4 hours ago
- CTV News
CTV National News: How a missing Montreal toddler ended up in rural Ontario
Watch Police believe the missing three-year-old girl didn't move from the spot she was eventually found in for days. Denise Roberts has the details.
Yahoo
9 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Australian trial says tech for social media teen ban can work
Australia's world-leading ban on under-16s joining social media sites cleared a big hurdle Friday as a trial found digital age checks can work "robustly and effectively". Sites such as Facebook, Instagram, Tiktok and X could face fines of up to Aus$50 million (US$32 million) for failing to comply with the legislation, which was passed in November. They have described the law -- which is due to come into effect by the end of this year -- as vague, rushed and "problematic". There has been widespread concern over children's use of online platforms as evidence shows that social media can have negative effects on children's mental and physical health. Digital age verification systems -- which would be critical to the ban -- can work, said the interim findings of an independent Age Assurance Technology Trial, conducted for the government. "These preliminary findings indicate that age assurance can be done in Australia privately, robustly and effectively," it said. There are "no significant technological barriers" to deploying age checking systems in Australia, said the trial's project director, Tony Allen. "These solutions are technically feasible, can be integrated flexibly into existing services and can support the safety and rights of children online," he said in a statement. In a separate interview with Australia's Nine Network, Allen said preventing children circumventing age verification tools was a "big challenge", however. "I don't think anything is completely foolproof," he said. There are a "plethora" of approaches to age verification but no single solution to suit all cases, said the trial report, in which 53 organisations took part. Australia's legislation is being closely monitored by other countries, with many weighing whether to implement similar bans. Greece spearheaded a proposal this month for the European Union to limit children's use of online platforms by setting an age of digital adulthood -- barring children from social media without parental consent. djw/sft/mtp
Malay Mail
10 hours ago
- Business
- Malay Mail
Australia moves closer to under-16 social media ban as trial finds age checks ‘robust and effective'
SYDNEY, June 20 — Australia's world-leading ban on under-16s joining social media sites cleared a big hurdle today as a trial found digital age checks can work 'robustly and effectively'. Sites such as Facebook, Instagram, Tiktok and X could face fines of up to Aus$50 million (US$32 million) for failing to comply with the legislation, which was passed in November. They have described the law—which is due to come into effect by the end of this year—as vague, rushed and 'problematic'. There has been widespread concern over children's use of online platforms as evidence shows that social media can have negative effects on children's mental and physical health. Digital age verification systems—which would be critical to the ban—can work, said the interim findings of an independent Age Assurance Technology Trial, conducted for the government. 'These preliminary findings indicate that age assurance can be done in Australia privately, robustly and effectively,' it said. There are 'no significant technological barriers' to deploying age checking systems in Australia, said the trial's project director, Tony Allen. 'These solutions are technically feasible, can be integrated flexibly into existing services and can support the safety and rights of children online,' he said in a statement. In a separate interview with Australia's Nine Network, Allen said preventing children circumventing age verification tools was a 'big challenge', however. 'I don't think anything is completely foolproof,' he said. There are a 'plethora' of approaches to age verification but no single solution to suit all cases, said the trial report, in which 53 organisations took part. Australia's legislation is being closely monitored by other countries, with many weighing whether to implement similar bans. Greece spearheaded a proposal this month for the European Union to limit children's use of online platforms by setting an age of digital adulthood—barring children from social media without parental consent. — AFP
