The manager of Luxembourg City's "Léiwe Léif" (Kind Lion) nursery, which closed down in 2017, has appeared in court to face allegations of harming the children in her charge.

The children were said to have been mistreated and intimidated under the manager's care, while staff members allege that the woman's instructions were not in the children's best interests. The nursery was closed with immediate effect five years ago.

The trial began at the end of November and covers allegations of premeditated bodily harm against 15 children from the nursery and at least three employees. In one of the first sessions, the court heard about an incident between 2014 and 2017, in which a child suffered a burn on the leg due to boiling liquid and was not given adequate medical care.

Friday's session in the Luxembourg City court saw strong accusations made against the manager by witnesses, who said the children had regularly been intimidated whilst within the childcare setting.

The children were forced to eat quickly, even when the food was too hot, and the manager instructed employees to only change nappies when they were full, which was often too late, according to parents and staff alike.

Staff turnover was extremely high at the nursery, with many employees resigning due to the treatment of the children and the manager's domineering, harsh attitude. One witness said she had been fired after just three days' work for questioning the manager's practices, such as being unable to console a crying child.

Some parents told the court they had not felt comfortable leaving their children in the nursery's care, while others said they had not noticed anything unusual about their children.

The trial will continue next week, with witnesses appearing for the defence.