A NURSERY where a carer who abused children worked has closed its doors.

Last week, the Worcester News reported that Sarah Pitt pleaded guilty to four counts of child cruelty at Tiblands Nursery School at Whitbourne.

Yesterday, callers to the nursery school’s phone number were faced with a recorded message saying that it had ceased trading with effect from October 16.

Pitt, of Linton, Bromyard, force-fed one toddler until she was sick and left another child to lie in his own urine for hours, Worcester Crown Court heard.

She was told by the judge that she will never be able to work with children again.

Pitt’s abuse only came to light when a whistleblower raised the alarm about her ‘bossy’ and ‘abrupt’ behaviour, reporting her to Ofsted and safeguarding bodies.

Rather than being dismissed, the defendant was allowed to continue working and given extra training, a decision branded ‘mystifying’ by the judge who called Pitt ‘an appalling bully.’

Despite the training, further abuse followed and a second whistleblower raised the alarm.

The defendant was arrested on January 19, 2017 for offences stretching back over three years.

Judge Jim Tindal said: “She will never work with children again.”

He sentenced her to two years in prison, suspended for two years, ordered her to complete 30 rehabilitation activity days and make contribution to costs of £250.

His decision to suspend the sentence was based on the impact an immediate custodial sentence would have on the defendant’s son.

She also had no previous convictions.

Pitt is also banned from having any unsupervised contact with any child under the age of 16 without the permission of that child’s parents who have knowledge of the conviction.