Parents of children abused at nursery by an “evil” 22-year-old worker have described their anger at the way the investigation was managed. Last week Roksana Lecka was found guilty of child cruelty involving 21 toddlers after a month-long trial at Kingston Crown Court.
The unqualified Lecka, who came to the UK from Poland aged three, started working at the Riverside Nursery at Twickenham Green, London, last year after stints as a pub barmaid and having been sacked from a beauty salon. Alongside images posted on TikTok of her looking after her young siblings, her mother wrote: “I am a proud mother to have such a wonderful person as you are Roksana. Thank you for being a wonderful second mummy to my children.
However, the truth behind Lecka’s ways with children was much more sinister.
In the five months that she worked there, the vaping addicted woman abused more than 20 babies, with police believing there may yet be victims who have not come forward or realised that their child was subjected to abuse.
Parents of some of the children who attended the £1,900 a month have spoken out about how the nursery, which boasted of delivering “a bespoke and individualised education, delivered with nurturing, loving care”, handled allegations against Lecka.
One parent told the Mail on Sunday: “I’m horrified at what she has done but I’m just as angry at the nursery and how all this was managed.
“You expect nursery providers to keep your kids safe – that is fundamental. Given this incident and the sheer scale of it, you wonder how it could go on, on such a wide scale and particularly with parents raising concerns.
“We will never forget the horror we felt when we learned what our child had been put through.”
Another described how the “evil” Lecka had ruined her ability to trust, saying “I have become one of those mothers who takes pictures of everything.”
Parents reported concerns to the nursery in March 2024 after children started showing unexplained cuts and bruises, but were told by staff that nothing untoward had happened.
By as late as early June, Lecka was still not under suspicion, with he nursery’s boss awarding her a bouquet of flowers in recognition of her hard work.
A week later, another member of staff discovered CCTV which caught Lecka in the act and led to multiple instances eventually being discovered.
The sadistic abuser could be seen checking to ensure nobody was around before carrying out her abuse. Some children were targeted multiple times a day, with those able to being seen running or crawling away from her or bursting into tears in her presence.
Other instances of abuse included kicking a child who was on the floor, pushing children headfirst over cots, shoving another child onto a mattress in the sleep room and aggressively covering a toddler’s mouth as he started to cry.
Her victims ranged in age from two years old to just eight months, with children subjected to pinches and scratches across their bodies. Others were kicked, pushed and hit.
Parents of more than half of the victims are now suing Duke’s Education, which has since closed the nursery.
Jemma Till, from Irwin Mitchell, who is leading the civil action, said: “I feel strongly that there were more incidents of abuse that weren’t captured on CCTV.
“My worry is, given the nature of the concerns being raised back in March, I think there were things happening months before.”
Lecka pleaded guilty to seven counts of abuse but was last week found guilty of a further 14.
A spokesperson for the Twickenham Green nursery said: “Situations like this are deeply upsetting and represent a profound breach of trust in a professional.
“We recognise how difficult this has been, in particular for the children and families directly involved. Creating places in which children are happy, safe and able to thrive is our top priority, and we will do everything in our power to protect that.’
“While CCTV is not a requirement in nursery settings, at Twickenham Green we had CCTV in place, going above and beyond statutory requirements. Ultimately, this has proved to be vital evidence in the criminal case against Roksana Lecka.
“As we heard in evidence during the trial, Lecka continually tried to deceive colleagues, conceal her actions and tried to evade the safeguarding processes and protections in place.
“No concerns were raised by other members of staff about Lecka’s behaviour prior to June 28. When concerns were raised about her behaviour, these were acted upon immediately and ultimately led to her arrest and criminal charges being brought against her.”