Following the birth of their second son last month, the heartbroken parents of a newborn who passed away at the nursery after choking have paid homage to the “wonderful baby.”
Oliver, a nine-month-old infant of Zoe and Lewis Steeper, passed away six days after choking in September 2021 at Jelly Beans Day Nursery in Ashford, Kent.
Jake Oliver Steeper, the second son of swimming instructor Zoe, 32, and surveyor Lewis, 37, was born last month.
Lewis recently said that the pair was really grateful for getting a second opportunity at fatherhood.
Oliver was our first child and was unquestionably the finest baby anybody could have hoped for.
He was just ideal.
Knowing that the next baby will probably resemble Oli in both appearance and voice is an odd sensation.
Lewis remarked, “We are simply grateful that we have been given another shot.
The pair claims they are adamant about appealing the CPS’s decision not to file charges, and Kent Police have also put their investigation on hold.
Since then, The Streepers have waged a campaign against government recommendations to reduce the number of nursery caregivers per kid in order to lower the cost of daycare, with a petition amassing more than 100,000 signatures.
Lewis said, “After lost Oliver in an early years setting, we believe it’s our obligation now to safeguard other children from those who are seeking to restructure the system. We want to stop changes that would have nursery workers caring for more children.
The CPS informed the couple that it would not file charges, and Kent Police informed them that its investigation had also been suspended.
His parents made the verdict public yesterday on the Oliver Steeper Foundation website, but they have promised to fight to get it overturned.
Although the original inquiry found that the nursery’s standards and procedures were “of low quality and inconsistent,” the statement said, “at this time, no responsibility for our son’s awful and preventable death will prevail.”
We are astonished and very upset by the original decision, but we are not discouraged.
Our appeal has been filed with the Crown Prosecution Service by specialized attorneys Leigh Day.
“We will stop at nothing,” they said, “since we believe the CPS has overlooked or neglected many significant parts of what transpired that day.”
Oliver’s death caused the nursery to cease down permanently as a result of the tragedy.
Its registration was suspended by childcare inspectors Ofsted, which led to the closure.
The Steepers continued by expressing their dissatisfaction with Ofsted’s handling of the situation.
On September 23, 2021, Little Oliver was fed in the nursery. Soon after, his breathing became difficult.
At the Evelina London Children’s Hospital, he had a heart attack and passed away six days later.
Pictures of him in his hospital bed surrounded by tubes are heartbreaking.
His death was ruled to have been caused by a heart attack and brain damage when the inquest into it was launched in August. However, it was postponed awaiting the results of the investigations.
Since then, his parents have been fighting government recommendations to reduce the number of nursery caregivers to children in order to lower the cost of daycare, with a petition amassing more than 100,000 signatures.
Because of their riches and advantages, these members of parliament “never placed their own children in a neighborhood nursery; they just don’t live in the real world the rest of us do and don’t blink an eyelid at the expense of childcare.”
‘Kent Police conducted extensive investigations into the circumstances of a fatality at a childcare facility in Ashford on Thursday, September 23, 2021,’ a Kent Police spokeswoman said.
“No further action is to be taken after a careful examination, and the investigation has been filed awaiting the discovery of new facts.”
The coroner will get a report, it says.
‘Kent Police forwarded a file of evidence to the CPS requesting a charge decision for two individuals in connection to Oliver Steeper’s death,’ a CPS spokeswoman said. We came to the conclusion that there was not enough evidence after carefully examining all the evidence that either suspect would be convicted.
Oliver’s passing was tragic, and we recognize how upsetting it must have been for his family to learn of our choice. We continue to think of them throughout this trying time.
“The Victim’s Right to Review Scheme has received a request from Oliver’s family,” the message reads. We are going to evaluate all the evidence once again, completely independently. Before the evaluation is finished, more commentary would not be acceptable.
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