Woman, 22, convicted of abusing 21 small children at nursery the place she labored

A 22-year-old nursery employee has been convicted of abusing 21 small children, together with kicking one little boy within the face and stepping on his shoulder all over a harrowing marketing campaign of abuse.

Roksana Lecka, from Hounslow, admitted seven counts of cruelty to an individual below the age of 16 and used to be convicted of some other 14 counts through a jury at Kingston crown court docket.

Her crimes had been found out in June closing 12 months after she used to be despatched house for pinching a lot of kids and showing “flustered” on the Riverside Nursery in Twickenham, south-west London, the Crown Prosecution Service mentioned.

Detectives from the Metropolitan police went via CCTV from the nursery that confirmed her pinching and scratching kids below their garments on their hands, legs and stomachs.

She pinched a number of kids dozens of occasions throughout in the future, inflicting them to cry and draw back clear of her, the CPS mentioned.

In one incident she kicked a bit of boy within the face a number of occasions. She used to be additionally observed to push small children headfirst over cots and canopy a child’s mouth when he began to cry.

The Met mentioned she had abused kids at two nurseries between October 2023 and June 2024 – one of the most counts associated with Little Munchkins in Hounslow, with the rest related to Riverside, which has since closed.

DS Geoff Boye mentioned: “Footage showed Lecka carrying out multiple assaults on the children in her care which included repeatedly pinching and grabbing children, dropping babies into their cots and, on one occasion, she delivered several kicks to a young boy to the face and stepped on his shoulder.”

Lecka advised police she smoked hashish earlier than her shifts, and at one level used to be observed vaping a metre clear of a tender child.

DI Sian Hutchings mentioned: “These families left their children in Lecka’s care, trusting her to protect their children as well as the other staff at the nurseries clearly did.

“The footage of her offences against defenceless children was disturbing.

“I would like to praise the strength of the victims’ families who have had to sit in court and watch footage of the abuse which Lecka inflicted on their children.”

Lecka labored at Riverside Nursery between January and June 2024, with a lot of folks reporting peculiar accidents and bruising in March and May that 12 months.

She might be sentenced at Kingston crown court docket on 26 September.

Senior crown prosecutor Gemma Burns mentioned: “Lecka repeatedly showed exceptional cruelty in her appalling treatment of these babies. No parent should have to fear leaving their child in the care of professionals, but the sheer scale of her abuse is staggering.

“The CPS put forward compelling evidence that clearly showed her targeting children when colleagues were either out of the room, or had their backs turned. We also called on experts to prove that the injuries Lecka’s victims sustained were consistent with pinch marks.

“Lecka was placed in a position of trust and her job required her to provide safety and protection. Instead, she kicked, scratched and pinched these young children, with this vile abuse of vulnerable victims continuing for many months.”

Quite a lot of folks contacted attorneys after Lecka’s abuse emerged.

Solicitor Jemma Till, from Irwin Mitchell, mentioned: “The families we represent are not only deeply shocked but also traumatised by what their children have endured.

“This is sadly yet another devastating case where children have suffered at the hands of someone in a position of trust.

“Whilst Lecka’s actions have been stopped, the consequences of those actions are likely to affect families for many years. Nothing can undo what has happened, but it’s now vital that lessons are learned and, where appropriate, measures introduced to prevent other children being harmed.

“In the meantime, we’re focused on supporting the families and helping them come to terms with Lecka’s dreadful actions.”

Munira Wilson, the Liberal Democrat MP for Twickenham, mentioned it used to be “incredibly important that families see justice done and the children get all the support they need to recover from this trauma”.

She claimed there used to be a necessity for “urgent reforms to make nurseries and early years settings safe for our children”.

She added: “Nurseries must be subject to no-notice Ofsted inspections where safeguarding concerns can be raised and CCTV footage is reviewed.

“I will be working with colleagues to make sure these tragedies never happen again – every parent should know their child is safe when left at nursery.”