Nursery worker jailed after abusing 21 babies in ‘sadistic’ campaign

A nursery worker who abused 21 babies has been jailed for eight years as parents of her victims condemned her “sickening” crimes and branded her the “worst kind of human”.

Roksana Lecka, from Hounslow, west London, admitted seven counts of cruelty to a person under the age of 16 and was convicted after a trial of another 14 counts over her “gratuitous” and “sadistic” actions at two nurseries.

The 22-year-old’s crimes were discovered in June last year after she was sent home for pinching a number of children at Riverside Nursery in Twickenham, south-west London.

Parents of Lecka’s victims told of their feelings of heartbreak, guilt and distrust in victim impact statements at Kingston Crown Court on Friday, with some of them taking to the witness box to deliver their words in front of a full courtroom – including Lecka’s loved ones and four jurors who returned to watch the sentencing.

Judge Sarah Plaschkes KC said Lecka should not be allowed to work with children again, telling the defendant: “You committed multiple acts of gratuitous violence.

“You pinched, slapped, punched, smacked and kicked them. You pulled their ears, hair and their toes. You toppled children headfirst into cots. You caused bruising and lingering red marks.

“When you committed these acts of cruelty you would look at the other members of staff to make sure that they were not watching you.

“Often the child would be quietly and happily minding its own business before you deliberately inflicted pain causing the child to cry, arch, try to get away or writhe around in distress.

“Time after time you calmly watched the pain and suffering you have caused. Your criminal conduct can properly be characterised as sadistic.”

Metropolitan Police detectives went through CCTV from the nursery that showed Lecka pinching and scratching children under their clothes on their arms, legs and stomachs.

In one incident she kicked a little boy in the face several times. She was also seen to cover a toddler’s mouth when he started to cry.

On Friday, one mother looked directly at Lecka as she said: “These children were so innocent and vulnerable.

“They couldn’t speak, they couldn’t defend themselves and they couldn’t tell us as parents that something had happened to them.

“They were totally helpless and Roksana preyed upon them.”

Another mother, referencing the CCTV footage, said: “This really highlighted how defenceless all the children were and how sickening Roksana’s crimes were to target such young babies.”

The court heard from a different mother that some of the CCTV showed babies “reach back out to Roksana after she hurt them”.

She said: “I think Roksana is a huge threat to society.

“It is objectively shocking that she has been hiding in plain sight in society up until she was arrested. I think all of us can agree that only the worst kind of human would assault vulnerable babies.”

Many expressed their fears over what further abuse their children may have endured.

One father told the court that his wife “always says” if Lecka had not been caught “she could have gone on to seriously injure or even kill”.

Parents detailed the guilt they feel about placing their children in Lecka’s care, with one mother, whose son the defendant kicked in the face, telling the court: “We weren’t there to protect them.”

The court heard one family has moved away from London altogether, while other sets of parents have suffered breakdowns in their relationship, after Lecka’s actions.

Parents also spoke of now finding it difficult to trust people to care for their children, with one mother saying she has flown her parents out from Panama to look after her daughter while she was away on a business trip.

And several told of experiencing their children pinching them, and how they wonder whether that is something they learned from Lecka.

Judge Plaschkes said: “The families have suffered emotional trauma.”

Law firm Irwin Mitchell, which represents 18 families, said “serious questions” remain as to how Lecka’s abuse went “unchecked”.

Lawyer Jemma Till said: “Our focus is now on securing families, who will continue to be affected by Lecka’s actions for years to come, with the further answers they deserve.”

The defendant requested a break part way through the family’s statements and was seen with her head in her hands before leaving the dock.

Arlette Piercy, defending, said her client has expressed remorse and cited her previous good character and young age in mitigation.

The court heard Lecka wrote a letter to the court saying she has reflected on her actions, wanted to apologise to parents and that cannabis turned her into a different person.

Ms Piercy told the court that Lecka has been attacked in custody, describing her experience in prison as having been “extremely challenging”, and said she has spent time in the vulnerable prison wing.

Lecka worked at Riverside Nursery between January and June 2024, with a number of parents reporting unusual injuries and bruising in March and May that year.

The court heard she was addicted to cannabis and vaping around that time, which she did not tell the nursery.

Police said she had abused children at two nurseries between October 2023 and June 2024. One of the counts related to Little Munchkins in Hounslow, with the remainder linked to Riverside, which has since closed.

She was also found not guilty of three counts of child cruelty.