Rowena and Jack Churchland were left stunned when they sat down to watch footage from the video camera they had installed in their son Olly’s nursery.
They had only put the camera there as a precaution, hoping to give Rowena peace of mind when she was forced to hire a nanny to look after her baby boy for one day a week, so that she could return to work.
But the images the camera had captured were far from reassuring.
For nearly an hour, restless in his cot over what was meant to be his lunchtime nap, Olly was manhandled by the woman who was supposed to be looking after him.
At one point, the woman can even be seen picking the infant up and flinging him roughly against the mobile hanging above his cot.
This footage may be distressing for some:
Speaking with the Mail Online, Olly's horrified mother said: "All I could think of was that it was my baby in that cot, in his home, where he should feel safest.
"The worst part was seeing his body language. When he was on his own he was active, but the moment she came in his body stiffened as if he was preparing himself for her.
"Was he frightened? I couldn’t bear the thought."
The nanny was not charged with assault, but with cruelty under the Children and Young Persons Act.
Thankfully little Olly is "very happy" and now approaching his third birthday. however his parents are still horrified about what happened.
Rowena admitted: "I feel that one day when he is old enough to understand I need to apologise to Olly for what happened. As a parent all you want to do is keep your children safe — and if you feel you have failed at that it is the worse feeling in the world."