A nursery manager who bit a child has escaped jail after admitting assault. Amanda Byrne, 57, was a manager at the now-closed Little Stars Nursery, in Whitehall Lane, Erith, south east London when she bit a young boy on November 24, 2025.
The boy's parents, who cannot be named for legal reasons, said the trauma 'put them through hell'. When they collected their son from nursery in November, they were told the bite marks on his arm were the result of him biting himself out of frustration. However the following day the parents received a phone call from the nursery's safeguarding head, who revealed another staff member had reported the manager for causing the bite marks.
The boy's father said: 'We were absolutely mortified, just in a state of shock that somebody with that responsibility would do that.' His 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 incident. The nursery never reopened after the provider resigned its registration.
At Bromley Magistrates' Court on May 21, Byrne, of Barnehurst Avenue, avoided custody after receiving a six-month sentence, suspended for one year. She was ordered to pay £500 compensation, and to complete 20 days of rehabilitation activities.
The boy's father said: 'A defenceless child, and that's all she gets? It's disgusting. 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 everything, they expressed their deep gratitude for the other staff members who blew the whistle. He added: 'If it wasn't for them, we would never have known and she would still be looking after kids.'
