Long Island nanny gets up to 3 years for assaulting 2-week-old infant

SEARINGTOWN, Long Island -- A Long Island nanny who assaulted a 2-week-old infant in her care was sentenced Thursday to one to three years in prison.

The alleged assault happened in June of 2017 inside a home in Searingtown. Stacy Sakeran, 57, of Jamaica, was employed as a nanny for the family when the baby's father heard his daughter crying out in pain just after 1:30 a.m.

The parents reviewed video from a camera installed in the baby's room and observed Sakeran forcefully moving the baby around and slapping her in the face. They then viewed video from previous days and saw the nanny yelling at the infant and striking her several times with an opened hand.

"She was kind of jostling the baby, and then I saw her slap the baby and then put the bottle in her mouth," dad Sibi John said. "I looked back and saw that she was basically doing it every night."

In court at the sentencing, mom Ruby John read an emotional impact statement.

"You were starving and abusing her," she said. "You slapped her. You shook her. You abused my baby while I was in the house."

Sakeran, who pleaded guilty to charges instead of going to trial, made only one comment.

"I am very, very sorry," she said.

The sentence offered new hope to the family.

"It feels like we've been living through a nightmare for the last year," Ruby John said. "We trusted her because we needed it. We were in a vulnerable situation, and I feel like she took advantage of it. And she hurt an innocent baby."

"I think it was a blessing we found out," Sibi John added. "Just glad she has the sentence, and hopefully she won't be able to take care of any other kids."