Viewers of a new BBC documentary are being warned to prepare for one of the most heartbreaking true-crime stories the broadcaster has ever explored, as the tragic d3ath of 14-month-old Noah Sibanda comes under renewed scrutiny.

Nursery Scandals: What Went Wrong? examines a series of safeguarding failures in early years childcare, but the devastating case of Noah sits at the centre of the investigation.

Investigative journalist Hayley Hassall revisits the events that led to the toddler’s d3ath at Fairytales Day Nursery in Dudley, a childcare setting that had previously received “Good” and “Outstanding” Ofsted ratings despite what was later uncovered behind closed doors.

On December 9, 2022, nursery worker Kimberley Cookson placed Noah face down inside a teepee, tightly wrapped him in blankets, covered his head and restrained him while attempting to make him sleep. CCTV footage, too distressing to broadcast in full, later revealed the dangerous sleeping practices that prosecutors said led to the little boy’s d3ath.

The documentary explains that Cookson later claimed she had never been properly trained in how to settle children safely. Investigators subsequently identified wider failures at the nursery, describing a culture marked by inadequate training, pressure and fear.

For Noah’s mother, Masi Sibanda, the loss remains impossible to comprehend.

She recalls receiving a phone call telling her that her son was no longer breathing before rushing to hospital, where medical staff were desperately trying to save him. Speaking in the documentary, she describes the unimaginable moment she realised her son had d!ed and accuses nursery staff of treating children as though they were “inanimate objects” rather than vulnerable young lives.

The programme also highlights that historic CCTV footage suggested Noah was not the only child subjected to rough handling, with babies repeatedly being placed face down despite long-standing medical advice warning against the practice because of the risk of suffocation.

The case ultimately resulted in landmark sentences handed down in April 2026.

Kimberley Cookson, then 23, pleaded guilty to gross negligence manslaughter and was sentenced to three years and four months in prison. Nursery owner Deborah Latewood received a six-month suspended prison sentence for a health and safety offence, while the nursery itself was fined £240,000 for corporate manslaughter and health and safety breaches, in addition to being ordered to pay £56,000 in costs. Latewood was also disqualified from serving as a company director for seven years.

During sentencing, the court heard that after restraining Noah, Cookson believed he had fallen asleep and left him alone. Staff failed to carry out a physical check for around two hours before he was eventually found unresponsive. He later d!ed in hospital.

Both women expressed remorse following the tragedy. Cookson said the events would haunt her for the rest of her life and hoped Noah’s family might one day forgive her. Latewood apologised to the family, describing Noah as a “beautiful, happy, loveable child” and saying the outcome was not the legacy she had wanted after four decades working in childcare.

Through interviews with grieving families, whistleblowers and experts, the BBC documentary asks how such a tragedy could happen inside a nursery trusted by parents and highly rated by inspectors, while raising wider questions about safeguarding standards across the childcare sector.