Nanny accused of burning baby girl

A nanny has been accused of deliberately burning a baby on an oven and risking a toddler's life by ignoring his suspected nut allergy.

Michelle Brittain, 24, is accused of holding a one-year-old girl's hand against an oven until the heat burnt through the "full thickness" of the baby's skin.

She is also accused of deliberately feeding a peanut butter sandwich to a two-year-old boy who was believed to have a nut allergy. The toddler appeared to lose consciousness and was later rushed to hospital after being given antihistamines.

Southwark Crown Court heard that the Australian told police that the baby girl had just learned to walk and had "brushed passed the oven". She also said the boy had fed himself the sandwich.

The nanny maintained the boy's mother had "exaggerated" her son's reaction to the sandwich. "He was never on his death bed," she said.

Fellow nanny Sandi Hubbard said Brittain, who denies knowledge of the boy's suspected allergy, was trying to prove that the boy's mother was being "neurotic" about her son.

"Half the time I was the last face he saw when he went to bed and the first face he saw when he woke up," said Brittain.

"I would never harm a child in any way ... I spend more time with these kids than their parents. I treat them like my own. All I ever wanted to do in my entire life is look after kids. And I'm good at it."

The 24-year-old, from East Sheen, Surrey, denies cruelty and causing grievous bodily harm with intent.

The case continues.