Police are investigating an ‘inadequate’ nursery after a mum claimed her one-year-old son had part of his ear BITTEN off and EATEN by another child.
Toddler Daniyaal Abubaker needed 10 stitches and spent two night nights in hospital after his right lobe was torn off on September 25.
His angry mum Afsha, 26, claimed the family was given different versions of what happened by staff – including that he had been bitten by another child.
Remarkably, she was even told the torn piece of ear, which has never been found, may have been EATEN by the other tot.
Police are now investigating privately-owned Mucky Pups Day Nursery in Garretts Green, Birmingham.
But yesterday, mum Afsha, a carer, fumed: “We still don’t know what happened to our son to this day, but to see your son in terrible pain with part of his ear missing was just horrific.
“I couldn’t stop crying. Daniyaal has been left traumatised.
“Sometimes when I move close to his face to kiss him he gets upset, he doesn’t like anyone to go close to his ear.
“He has been scarred mentally, not just physically.”
Afsha received a call from the nursery’s owner Paula Tidmus at 11.30am on September 25 to say her son had injured his ear in a fall and “might require stitches”.
But when her sister-in-law Madiha Hamid phoned the nursery shortly afterwards, she was told Daniyaal had been punched.
And Afsha claims that when her other sister-in-law Arooj Arooj picked up the injured tot, Mrs Tidmus told her he had been bitten by another child.
Daniyaal was rushed to Birmingham Children’s Hospital where he had an operation on his torn ear the next day.
Afsha, who is married to husband Muhammad, 25, added: “I contacted police as I have heard different versions of events and don’t know exactly what happened to my son that day.
“When I spoke to Paula again, and asked her what had happened to the piece of ear, she said the child must have swallowed it.”
The nursery’s owner Mrs Tidmus refused to comment, saying: “I am making no comment as this is in the hands of my solicitors and insurers.”
Parents yesterday expressed shock at the police probe, branding the youngster responsible “a tiny bully”.
One mum, who did not want to be named, said: “Everyone here knows what happened. The kids are pretty scared of the boy who is said to be responsible.
“He’s tiny, even in comparison to the other children, but he’s a really nasty bully.
“My daughter is a bit bigger and doesn’t see him often because she comes on different days but he has a reputation for picking fights with the other children.
“I don’t really blame the staff, it’s the parents who should instil discipline at home which they clearly don’t do.”
Just days after the horrific attack, Ofsted inspectors visited the nursery on October 2 and rated it as 4, which is ‘inadequate’.
They also claimed risk assessments were not “rigorous enough” and stated the nursery didn’t “address all safety issues”.
The report said: “Risks assessments are not rigorous enough as they do not address all safety issues in the nursery and staff do not help children learn how to be safe during activities.”
Ofsted also said the nursery would be inspected again in 12 months and added that enforcement action would be taken if they didn’t make the necessary improvements.
A spokesman for West Midlands Police said: “Specialist officers from West Midlands Police Public Protection Unit are reviewing an incident, in which a young child suffered an injury to his ear.
“Officers are in the process of contacting the family and relevant agencies, including Children’s Social Care, as part of the ongoing inquiry.”
*It is not the first time toddlers have suffered horrific injuries at the hands of other tots.
In December 2011, three-year-old Katie Ann Guttridge sustained a bruised eye socket and, scratches to her face and bite marks on her cheek after being set upon at nursery in Leicester.
