At a second pre-inquest review held at Maidstone County Hall today (9 November), coroner Katina Hepburn said the case required a jury as ‘the death was notifiable’. The inquest will hear evidence from 17 witnesses and one expert over a two-week hearing, due to start on 13 May next year, according to local reports.
Those set to give evidence include staff who worked at the nursery, Jelly Beans in Ashford, Kent, which following the incident closed, the doctor who treated Oliver, a parent of another child attending the setting, a representative from Ofsted and Oliver’s Mum, Zoe Steeper.
Reports suggest that the court heard today that Ashford Borough Council was not set to investigate the incident. Following an investigation, the CPS (Crown Prosecution Service) made the decision not to pursue criminal charges. Oliver’s parents, Lewis and Zoe Steeper, appealed the decision.
Lewis Steeper told Nursery World that they were ‘pleased a date had finally been set for Oliver’s inquest’, which will last two weeks ‘meaning it will be thorough’.
