Worker at £1,900-a-month Montessori nursery ‘assaulted 24 babies by way of time and again pinching, punching and grabbing them in attacks that left them “writhing around” in ache’

A nursery employee accused of abusing 24 small children left youngsters crying and ‘writhing round’ in ache after time and again pinching, punching and grabbing them, a courtroom heard as of late.

Roksana Lecka, 22, is accused of ‘badly harming’ 23 of the babies, elderly 18 months to 2 years, whilst she labored at a £1,900-a-month Montessori nursery in Twickenham, west London, between January 31 and June 28 final 12 months.

Lecka, dressed in a gray jumper, white collared blouse and black scarf within the dock, denies 21 counts of kid cruelty on the Twickenham Green Montessori nursery, however has admitted two counts of the similar offence.

She is charged with a 24th rely of kid cruelty in October 2023, prior to she set to work on the nursery.

At Kingston Crown Court as of late, the prosecution opened the trial by way of appearing CCTV of ‘distressed’ youngsters wailing at the ground once they had been allegedly assaulted by way of Lecka and left with ‘scratch’ and ‘pinch’ marks on their our bodies.

Members of the general public gallery, which integrated folks of the youngsters, gasped in surprise as they had been performed CCTV of Lecka allegedly harming the babies – together with ‘punching’ one sat on her lap – on June 28 final 12 months.

Opening the case in opposition to Lecka, prosecutor Tracy Ayling KC informed jurors that the defendant set to work on the Montessori nursery on January 31 2024 and that there have been ‘no obvious safeguarding issues’.

Lecka used to be somebody who ‘got here throughout as any person who would paintings onerous and have interaction smartly with the youngsters’, she stated.

Lecka denies 21 counts of kid cruelty on the Twickenham Green Montessori nursery, however has admitted two counts of the similar offence. She is charged with a 24th rely of kid abuse from prior to she joined the nursery 

Ms Ayling persisted: ‘But what transpired on 28th June 2024, gave the body of workers at Riverside grave reason for fear and the police had been knowledgeable.

‘On looking at CCTV from throughout the premises it gave the impression that on 28th June 2024, Ms Lecka had badly handled numerous the youngsters.’

The trial heard how on that day, Lecka used to be overdue for paintings and gave the impression ‘sluggish’, ‘torpid’ and ‘virtually as though she used to be in a daze’ when she arrived. She used to be informed to move house by way of the pinnacle trainer at 3pm.

But prior to that, between round 1pm and 2pm, a instructing assistant witnessed two youngsters being harmed by way of Lecka, jurors heard.

When involved body of workers checked all of the small children for accidents, they discovered 5 youngsters had accidents together with ‘scratches’, ‘pinch marks’, ‘purple pores and skin’ and ‘raised pores and skin’.

Jurors had been informed how the instructing assistant reported Lecka’s behaviour to the pinnacle trainer on June 28 2024, sparking an pressing probe.

The courtroom used to be proven CCTV that the pinnacle trainer then discovered, together with photos of a kid spitting their dummy out and crying after being ‘pinched’.

In every other clip, contributors of the gallery gasped as they had been proven photos of Lecka allegedly grabbing a kid’s face, leaving him in tears.

Lecka (pictured) used to be somebody who ‘got here throughout as any person who would paintings onerous and have interaction smartly with the youngsters’ when she joined the nursery

The head trainer reported the topic to the Local Authority Designated officer and Ofsted. The police attended the nursery on July 3 and began trawling in the course of the CCTV themselves.

Lecka used to be arrested on suspicion of kid cruelty on July 5. She used to be proven CCTV of her allegedly assaulting 3 youngsters on June 28 and showed it used to be her within the photos.

But her ready commentary stated: ‘I deny assaulting any youngsters on the Riverside Nursery at the 28th June 2024. I went into paintings that day and had a regular day. There had been no injuries the place any kid gave the impression harm. We have procedures for the dealing with of the youngsters, which I adhered to. I’m unaware how any damage to those youngsters had been brought about’.

The courtroom heard that once police watched the entire current CCTV again, which used to be round a month’s value, 23 small children were ‘badly handled come what may by way of Ms Lecka’. A 24th kid used to be allegedly harmed on October 19 2023.

Jurors had been informed that many of the alleged incidents happened within the nursery’s ‘child room’, whilst some took place within the ‘child sleep room’ the place the youngsters lie in cots or on child mats.

Lecka, from Hounslow, used to be remanded in custody after police investigated issues concerning the welfare of kids at Twickenham Green Montessori in London (pictured)

The prosecution informed the jury that they are going to be seeing a large number of CCTV all through the trial.

‘For instance, you may see a kid cry after they have got been on Ms Lecka’s lap, Ms Ayling stated.

‘Or they could run clear of her. You would possibly see her looking at different contributors of body of workers as she harms a kid, simply checking if every other contributors of body of workers is looking at what she is doing. . All this stuff are so that you can make a decision’

On Thursday, jurors had been proven numerous clips from June 28 2024 – an afternoon which they allege 5 youngsters had been left with accidents.

In one clip, prosecutors confirmed the jury photos which allegedly presentations Lecka ‘time and again pinching’ a kid on her legs, again and below her arm within the child room.

The kid used to be left in tears as different body of workers attempted to console them, the courtroom heard.

In a 2d clip, jurors had been proven Lecka allegedly pinching every other kid on his legs.

Prosecutors say the CCTV presentations body of workers comforting the kid as they cry and that they later temporarily crawled clear of Lecka.

In every other incident, Lecka is allegedly noticed strolling out of the newborn room however ‘attacks a girl by way of pinching her to the facet of the face then grabbing the again of her head/hair’.

Emotional members of the family gasped in courtroom, together with one that used to be heard announcing ‘Jesus Christ’ once they watched the instant more than one occasions.

The courtroom used to be then proven the instant the place involved body of workers started analyzing the youngsters for accidents.

Ms Ayling stated: ‘As a results of that, she and different contributors of body of workers checked all of the youngsters for accidents. (Child 9) had scratches to her face, (Child 8) had a pinch mark to her chest, (Child 13) had scratches to her neck, (Child 12) had purple marks to his inside legs and (Child 6) additionally had a small quantity of pores and skin that used to be raised on her abdomen.’

On Thursday, the jury started to move via CCTV of the alleged kid sufferers being harmed by way of Lecka.

Footage used to be proven of 1 kid allegedly being pinched at the toes, their proper leg and chest. In every other second which drew gasps from the gallery, Lecka pulled the kid’s hair, which made them strike their head at the desk.

Jurors had been proven CCTV of every other kid, this time within the sleep room, allegedly being pinched by way of Lecka within the leg and thigh.

The defendant is then noticed lifting the girl out of a cot and taking her again to the newborn room, the place she starts ‘pinching’ her.

It is within the child room the place CCTV additionally presentations Lecka allegedly punching the girl in her facet. The drive of the alleged punch jolts the newborn and she or he is left in tears.

The Montessori nursery the place Lecka labored cared for youngsters elderly below 4 with folks paying as much as £1,900 a month for childcare.

The prestigious nursery follows the Montessori way of training, involving youngsters’s ‘herbal pursuits and actions’ as a substitute of formal practices.

The defendant, who confirmed no emotion within the dock, is claimed to have ‘wilfully assaulted and or ill-treated’ the 24 sufferers ‘in a fashion more likely to reason struggling or damage’.

Lecka, from Hounslow, denies 22 counts of kid cruelty.

The trial, anticipated to last as long as 5 weeks, continues.