A nursery assistant has admitted recklessly picking a toddler up by the ankles and dropping her on her head.
The two-year-old girl suffered friction burns after being dropped on the ground at a nursery in Fraserburgh last year.
Yesterday, India Mitchell admitted behaving culpably and recklessly when she appeared at Peterhead Sheriff Court.
The 21-year-old’s actions were spotted by another member of staff at the nursery – but the guardian of the tot last night claimed it took six days for her to be told.
She said the ordeal had been “upsetting” for everyone involved.
“It’s the nursery’s fault,” she added.
“It was six days before I found out about what had happened. When I did I moved her to another nursery.”
Mitchell, of Wallace Way, Fraserburgh, had also been accused of assaulting a boy at the nursery by vacuuming his hair, and pulling another child’s hair so hard she fell over.
However, not guilty pleas to those charges were accepted by the Crown yesterday.
The court heard that Mitchell had picked the girl up by the ankles while the class were getting ready to be picked up by their parents on December 5 last year.
Fiscal depute Ruaridh McAllister said: “At the time, the staff of the nursery were getting the children ready to be picked up by their parents.
“One of the other staff members assisting at the time saw the accused holding the child upside down by the ankles.
“In the course of this action she let go. The child began crying hysterically.”
He added the injured area on the toddler’s head was “noticeably raised up” but no medical attention was sought because the child’s guardian had not been made aware of the circumstances of the injury.
During a police interview, Mitchell admitted to holding the child upside down and dropping her.
Sheriff Andrew Miller deferred sentencing for the preparation of background reports.