A creche worker who said she sat watching a child during the time he was allegedly left behind in a park playground denied yesterday she had fabricated the story with her boss.
Mary Quinn said she did not make up the story to cover up the mistake made when three-year-old Nathan McGrane's Montessori teacher realised he had not returned from an outing.
She was giving evidence on the second day of a prosecution against Ann Davy, owner of Giggles Creche and Montessori, Tolka Road, Dublin, who claims a teacher and the child's mother jumped to the conclusion that he had been left behind when he was being watched by Mrs Quinn.
Ms Davy denies breaching regulations governing pre-schools by leaving the child unattended in the playground of Fairview Park, Dublin; not having adequate adult supervision during the outing in accordance with her insurance policy; and failing to keep adequate staff rosters, child attendance and accident report records. Judgment was reserved.
Dublin District Court heard last Wednesday how Nathan's mother, Denise McGrane, was standing outside the creche waiting for the children to return from an outing on July 30th last.
Two members of staff, including Nathan's Montessori teacher, Deirdre Fahy, arrived back with two groups of children, including five pre-schoolers.
When Ms Fahy realised Nathan was not with the other group, she "started panicking", Mrs McGrane said. Both ran to the park where Nathan was on a swing.
"Deirdre grabbed Nathan and put her arms around him. She was crying. Ann [ Davy] arrived in her car and we got into it and Deirdre was crying all the way back to the creche," said Mrs McGrane.
She denied seeing another member of staff, Mrs Quinn, sitting on a bench in the playground watching Nathan.
"All I could think was: was he dead? He was in a park along a main road. Am I ever going to see him again?
Vincent McGrane, the child's father, said that when he went to see Ms Davy, she told him Nathan "should never have been left in the park on his own and that they will never take the children out again".
Ann Davy said she had asked Mrs Quinn to come off her lunchbreak briefly to sit with Nathan while she (Ann Davy) returned to the creche for a lunchbox which another child had forgotten.
In the meantime, the two other members of staff had decided to take the rest of the children back.
She denied she had "made up a lie" to cover up a mistake. "Nathan was never at any stage left behind," she said.
Yesterday Mrs Quinn also denied that she and Ms Davy had made up "a fabrication and a lie after a decision had been made to cover their backs".
She agreed that Ms Fahy was upset when she arrived in the playground, but she did not speak to her.
She said she returned to her lunchbreak once she saw Ms Fahy arrive. "I did not think there was a huge panic," she said.
Judge William Hamill adjourned his decision until March 23rd.