Parents of Oliver Steeper who died after choking on food receive six-figure settlement from Kent nursery

The settlement was reached without an admission of liability.

In May 2024, a jury at Kent and Medway Coroner’s Court found that Oliver, known as Oli, died after a choking episode whilst he was being fed by staff at Jelly Beans Day Nursery in Ashford, Kent on 23 September 2021.

Oli was eating only pureed and appropriate finger food at home, but staff gave him a meal of chopped pasta Bolognaise.

Oli was treated by paramedics at the scene, and at William Harvey Hospital in Ashford, before being transferred to Paediatric Intensive Care Unit at Evelina Children’s Hospital in central London.

Medical procedures later discovered a significant amount of food debris within Oli’s lungs, some of which doctors were unable to remove. He was unable to survive his injuries and died at Evelina Hospital six days later, on 29 September 2021.

Oli’s parents Lewis and Zoe Steeper instructed law firm, Leigh Day, to represent them at Oli’s inquest, and to investigate his case. They have now received a six-figure settlement payment from Jelly Beans Nursery.

Since Oli’s death Lewis and Zoe have been successfully campaigning for better safety measures around weaning babies onto solid food and emergency first aid provision for early years childcare providers.

They founded The Oliver Steeper Foundation which has a mission to provide lifesaving LifeVacs to every registered childcare and early years setting across the UK. It has already distributed more than 1,450 of the devices.

The foundation says, “These simple yet highly effective regulated medical devices can make the critical difference between life and death when standard first aid measures fail during a choking emergency. We firmly believe that every child deserves the added protection and peace of mind that a LifeVac device provides.”

Oli’s father, Lewis Steeper said:

“After four years of unimaginable pain, perseverance, and emotional endurance, this settlement brings to a close what has been a deeply distressing and protracted legal process for myself and Zoe.

“While no amount of financial compensation can ever equate to the loss of our child, this resolution allows us to draw a line under a painful legal chapter and focus our energies on ensuring that no other family endures the same devastation that we have suffered whilst ensuring Oliver’s brother Jake has the best of futures ahead.

“From the very beginning, our motivation has never been financial gain but rather accountability, truth, and lasting change within the early years sector. Over these past four years, we have had to relive the trauma of Oliver’s final moments time and again, whilst navigating complex legal, regulatory, and emotional challenges.

“We have fought tirelessly to highlight the systemic failings that led to our son’s death and to drive forward positive reforms in food safety and first aid procedures in childcare settings across the United Kingdom.”

Leigh Day partner, Jill Paterson said:

“Oli’s death was a preventable tragedy. His parents have endured the heartbreak of hearing a coroner raising concerns about the lack of knowledge of weaning amongst nursery staff, and about the insufficiency of the existing rules for Paediatric First Aid certificates.

“Last year, Lewis and Zoe sat through two weeks of evidence about the day their son died. No parent should have to do this. However, they have turned the most unimaginable grief into something positive by raising awareness in the hope that this never happens again. They have successfully campaigned for improvements in the early years’ sector and fundraised through The Oliver Steeper Foundation for anti-choking devices in early years settings.

“Whilst this settlement draws a line under the legal chapter, it also represents justice for their little boy, and a chance for Oli’s legacy to live on in a positive way.”