Toddler suffers brutal attack at gym crèche
A two-year-old girl has been bitten, bruised and given a black eye in a crèche at a Sydney gym while her mother was working out.
Toddler Eva Ness suffered serous injuries, apparently inflicted by another child, while in childcare at Frenchs Forest Virgin Active Gym on Saturday morning.
"[She had] black eyes, she had swelling over her eyebrows and the side of her head,” mother Kristel Ness told 7News.
“I was horrified, shocked and worried and sad, particularly because they've told me initially that it was just a little baby bite."
Kristel says staff told her Eva had a bite mark.
She rushed down to find her little girl covered in bruises and scratches, including on her face, and that she was not wearing her pants.
"When I was asking the operations manager about her, about why her pants were missing, he said children just take off their clothes… and kind of brushed it off,” she said.
A doctor confirmed the seriousness of Eva's injuries. Two days later, she is still unsteady on her feet.
"Parents have the right to expect that, if they're going to leave their children at a facility and that facility says that they provide child-minding, that the child-minding will be safe,” childcare expert Dr Justin Coulson said.
The mother of the four-year-old child thought to be responsible for the attack wrote in a letter to Eva's mother that “his superhero costumes have been taken away and he has been made to do chores" as punishment.
In a written statement, Virgin Active say they have suspended the child accused of attacking Eva Ness and that they have launched an investigation to ensure this never happens again in any of their clubs.
Virgin Active also claim to have offered every support to Eva and her parents, which the Ness family says is completely untrue.
"[It’s] business as usual, the crèche is open, they are not taking it very seriously,” Kristel said.
Police have interviewed the parents and are investigating the attack.
Kristel Ness has cancelled her Virgin Active membership.
Full response from Virgin Active
'We had a terrible incident occur between two young children at our Virgin Active Frenchs Forest club on the morning of Saturday 23 August.
A 2-year old girl and 4-year old boy were playing in our kids club, Club V, when an altercation between the pair resulted in the 2-year old girl suffering bruising to the face and bite marks on her face and back.
Our staff were nearby, but the incident occurred outside of the relevant supervisor’s direct line of sight within our soft play structure area. A full investigation is underway to assess exactly what took place, how it might have been prevented, and what can be done to help prevent a similar incident happening in the future.
In the interim, the relevant area of the kids club has been closed, and the membership of the child who allegedly attacked the 2-year old girl has been suspended.
Virgin Active is extremely sorry that this incident has taken place and we have apologised unreservedly to the little girl and her family. The parents have every reason to be furious that this incident occurred while their daughter was within the care of Virgin Active. We have offered the family any support we can provide at this time.
We want to reassure parents and members of the public that we treat the safety and wellbeing of the children in our care with the utmost importance.
Most importantly, we wish the young girl a speedy recovery.”
Mark Blackman (Managing Director, Virgin Active Asia Pacific)
