Polish worker, 22, at £1,900-a-month Montessori nursery is found GUILTY of attacking 21 toddlers in her care
Roksana Lecka, 22, has been convicted of 'badly harming' 21 infants at the Riverside Nursery in Twickenham, south-west London, last year.
She admitted seven counts of child cruelty, including kicking a boy in the face and punching a girl in the side, justifying this behaviour by claiming she was sleep deprived from smoking cannabis all night with her boyfriend.
Lecka denied 17 other similar charges but a jury at Kingston Crown Court unanimously found her guilty today.
Parents wept in the public gallery as the verdicts were read out, while Lecka was also tearful as she was led away to the cells.
One child was repeatedly kicked in the face by Lecka who even punched a baby after dragging her out of a cot.
Concerned parents first began photographing and reporting unexplained injuries on their children's tiny bodies as early as March last year.
They watched in horror in court as jurors were shown some of Lecka's sadistic attacks, including CCTV footage of her kicking the boy repeatedly in the face.
Staff noticed the children had been scratched and bruised and Lecka was suspended on June 28, 2024.
The 22-year-old told her trial she was 'addicted' to vaping and would be 'moody' if she wasn't able to puff on the device during work
After watching hours of CCTV and reviewing evidence compiled by parents, Lecka was charged with 24 counts of child cruelty.
She admitted seven of the charges against her but denied a further 17.
Today after nine hours and 53 minutes, jurors convicted her of 14 of the remaining 17 child cruelty counts and acquitted her of three.
She was remanded in custody and will be sentenced at Kingston Crown Court on September 26.
Judge Sarah Plaschkes KC exempted the jury from future service for the next 10 years.
There were gasps from jurors and weeping parents in the public gallery as horrifying footage of Lecka's attacks on toddlers, who were left writhing in agony, was shown during her trial.
They saw horrifying CCTV footage of Lecka kicking a boy in the face four times before stepping on his shoulder. The trainers she was wearing later seized by police.
In further footage played to the court, Lecka can also be seen pinching the legs, back and underarm of a young girl who is crying from the pain.
There were also clips of her pinching the side of a girl's face and grabbing her hair.
She is seen vaping in another clip before grabbing a baby out of a crib and pinching and punching the baby.
Lecka was 'looking around' at other members of staff to see who was 'watching these assaults occur', the court heard.
But the 22-year-old, who moved to Britain from Katowice in southern Poland when she was three, explained away each sickening act of violence with a chilling nonchalance.
She had told the jury: 'I can't remember the things I was doing because I was smoking cannabis that was affecting my memory.'
Giving evidence in a smart black suit jacket over a black top, her blonde hair tied back in a neat ponytail, she claimed that an alleged pinch to a boy's stomach was simply a tender hug.
A rough yank on a boy's hair was a 'ruffle with my fingers.'
A series of violent jabs to another toddler's stomach that left his abdomen black and blue were just 'playful pokes to the side,' she insisted.
A baby Lecka smacked twice around the face while puffing on her vape was actually only crying because 'she was distressed having just woken up from a nap.'
And a sickening moment when she threw a girl onto a mat had merely been some 'rough handling,' she declared.
The former beauty worker changed several pleas to guilty just before her trial begun, having been shown enhanced CCTV that irrefutably illustrated her crimes.
She desperately sought to rationalise her behaviour with a series of pathetic excuses, including that she would get 'moody' if she could not smoke her vape at work, did not have enough sleep, was still feeling the effects of cannabis smoked the night before and had been suffering from period cramps.
At that time I was really addicted to vapes, I would smoke two little crystal disposables a day,' she told the court.
'I was vaping in nursery. Because if I did not smoke I would get agitated and fed up. I couldn't keep asking to go to the toilet. Any opportunity I would take. I would be really moody and fed up.
'It would be a couple of puffs and then I'd put it away… I would put it in my bra.'
In the week of her suspension, Lecka claimed she had been 'over-prioritising' her boyfriend. 'I was with my boyfriend every night. I was addicted to him,' she said.
In her prepared statement, Lecka denied assaulting any children at the Riverside Nursery.
When asked in court if it was a lie, she said: 'I was not lying because I was unaware of what I was doing and the things I was doing, I can't remember the things I was doing because I was smoking cannabis that was affecting my memory.'
She added: 'The amount of cannabis I was smoking was still affecting me, in that period of time.'
Prosecutor Tracy Ayling told jurors that smoking cannabis and not being able to vape were 'excuses'.
She added: 'It is clear her actions are deliberate or at the very least careless, but on most occasions we say deliberate.
'There are, of course, some clips where Ms Lecka - as we put it - keeps going back for more.'
Her own evidence was damning of the chaotic environment at Riverside Nursery, part of a prestigious group of educational institutions run by Dukes Education.
Lecka admitted she hadn't bothered to complete her online safeguarding modules, and staff turnover was so high that workers were constantly training others while on the job.
She said she would frequently take toilet breaks to smoke a vape she kept in her bra, which she was seen on CCTV smoking next to children, and would take cannabis with her boyfriend – sometimes before work.
Despite this she was praised by management as a model employee and recalled: 'They had experience with people my age or younger who wouldn't stick to the job or do it properly but [head teacher] Noor one day called me into her office and said I was doing really well, she's really proud of me.
'She had even bought me pink roses.
'She said if I continued to do so well she would sort it for me to do Level 3 childcare courses if it was something I wanted.'
That she was held in such high esteem goes some way to explain why staff were for so long unable to link her to the horrific injuries suffered by children in their care – injuries that for months were explained away to parents as innocuous accidents.
As consultant paediatrician Dr Stephen Rose told the trial, they should have recognised that wounds including bruised earlobes, torsos and thighs must have been caused deliberately.
'Ears do not get injured or bruised accidentally…if it is a bruise it was caused non-accidentally or deliberately inflicted,' he said.
'The side of the torso is relatively protected by the arm, so it is not an area that is bruised accidentally.'
Dr Rose added that marks on a child's thigh had likely been caused on purpose because toddlers who fall backwards land on their bottoms, not their thighs.
Lecka, who has two younger siblings, was supported throughout the trial by her mother.
The Polish national, who studied beauty at Kingston College and worked as a babysitter, barmaid and at a laser removal clinic before getting her job at the nursery, will be sentenced at a later date.
A spokesman from Riverside Nurseries said: 'This has been a distressing case, particularly for the children and families directly affected. Our thoughts are first and foremost with those families.
'Following concerns raised by Riverside Nursery staff, the individual was suspended and ultimately charged with offences against a number of children at the Nursery. Although Roksana Lecka was not convicted on all charges, today's verdict confirms the seriousness of those concerns.
'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.'
Gemma Burns, of the Crown Prosecution Service, said: '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.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Fears Russia will sink its own ships in a 'false flag' and blame the West after the Kremlin accused Britain of preparing 'mass raids'
Russia is feared to be preparing false flag attacks on its shadow fleet of sea vessels in order to deter the West from further sanctioning them. According to the Telegraph, a report from the SVR, Moscow 's foreign intelligence service, claimed that the UK was plotting to attack Russia's fleet of ships used to subvert sanctions. The SVR said that the attacks would be designed to look like accidents, causing significant environmental damage and allowing the UK and the rest of NATO to justify further actions against them. The report claimed: 'British intelligence services are planning to use NATO allies to launch a mass raid on the "shadow fleet"; for this purpose, an ecological catastrophe in international waters is being prepared.' But experts said the report's publication raised concerns that Russia is preparing its own false flag operation, a scheme carried out by the Kremlin but designed to look like it has British origins. Dr Sidharth Kaushal, a research fellow at RUSI, told the newspaper: 'One interpretation might be that the Russians are insuring themselves against something breaking down or sinking, in a way that creates a pretext for restricting [their movement across the ocean].' So far, at least six tankers have suffered mysterious explosions since the start of the year. The suspicion has largely fallen on Ukraine, as all of the tankers were docked in Russian ports. Some of them were carrying Russian oil. It comes after the National Crime Agency (NCA) warned UK financial firms that Russian oil trading companies are utilising a complex network of companies with deliberately obscure ownership structures in order to evade sanctions. Britain has banned the maritime transportation of Russian oil as its energy exports are funding the war in Ukraine. In 2024, 30 per cent of Russia's federal budget came from oil and gas sales. But Russian oil trading companies are managing to circumvent sanctions to get Western cash which is continuing to fund the Russian state, investigators believe. One of the companies sanctioned last year used over 100 Shadow Fleet oil tankers, vessels which are usually over 15 years old which secretly carry Russian oil. To avoid detection, flags are regularly changed and the ship's automatic identification system is turned off to avoid its movements being tracked, while the oil is often transferred from one ship to another to obscure its origin before the shipment reaches its destination. Over 400 Shadow Fleet vessels have so far been sanctioned by the UK, EU, US and Canada. An NCA spokesman said: 'Today, the National Crime Agency has issued an alert to financial institutions and other members of the UK regulated sector in relation to the sale of Russian oil and gas through the use of Shadow Fleet vessels and front companies. 'Sanctions imposed on Russia as a result of its invasion of Ukraine have had a significant impact on its ability to sell oil and gas it produces. 'However, in an effort to circumvent these controls, Russian oil trading companies are utilising a complex network of companies with deliberately obscure ownership structures to evade sanctions whilst accessing Western finance and professional services in order to continue to fund the Russian state.'
Sky News
an hour ago
- Sky News
Prison system came 'within days of collapse' - and not just once
The prison system was close to collapse on a number of occasions between autumn 2023 and summer 2024, an independent review by former chief inspector of prisons, Dame Anne Owers, has found. The report, which was published on Tuesday, said there was a systemic problem which has led to recurring prison capacity crises over the last 18 years. Dame Anne warned there is an urgent need for senior staff in the justice system to move from crisis management to a more strategic approach to avoid repeated issues. The report also stressed the importance of having enough capacity in probation and other community services, as they are critical to prevent offending and reoffending. The report, which was commissioned by Lord Chancellor Shabana Mahmood in February, also detailed the financial cost of the crisis. It found the price of holding prisoners in police cells reached over £70m, while construction costs for new prisons nearly doubled to £10.1bn. 0:33 Prisons struggling to 'work effectively and safely' Dame Anne said: "The scale, likelihood, risks, and consequences of the prison capacity crisis could not have been signalled more clearly, at every level of government. "The response was last-minute short-term fixes rather than long-term solutions to the underlying problems." She said the crises had spanned successive governments, and "seriously affected prisons' ability to work effectively and safely". Rather than just invest in prisons themselves, the government should pour more money into community provision to help reduce offending and reoffending, she added. Other recommendations include: • Putting in place a 10-year plan for capacity in probation and community services • Setting up an independent body to provide advice and check the plans of prison and probation services • Getting the HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) Board to evaluate the Prison Service 2:28 'Close to total collapse' Ms Mahmood, the justice secretary, said: "This report lays bare the disgraceful way the last Conservative government ran our prisons. "They added less than 500 cells to the prison estate over 14 years, released over 10,000 prisoners early under a veil of secrecy, and brought our jails close to total collapse on countless occasions."
Sky News
an hour ago
- Sky News
A year after I was surrounded in Birmingham, have community rifts healed?
As riots broke out across the country last summer following the Southport attack, fear spread in a majority Muslim part of Birmingham that far-right protesters were on their way. Locals came out on to the streets, and as I was reporting live on air, I was surrounded by a small group of masked men, swearing and gesturing to the camera. Afterwards, as we were trying to drive away from the area, a man with a knife followed us and attempted to slash a tyre on our broadcast van. A year on, I have returned to the area to discuss what happened with some of those who saw their city descend into chaos. "The local community had lost faith in the local elected members as well as the local policing units," says Naeem Yousef, 48, who lives nearby. "They thought…the only way to protect themselves and the community was by coming out in force." 'You can't control their behaviour' Tanveer Choudhry, 56, agrees. "In every community we have our sort of, shall we call them… idiots, and you can't control their behaviour," he says. "I think there was a concern that the far-right group that was coming may well be armed… so I think it was just trying to counteract what they thought was coming." We are sitting in a cafe, not far from where the unrest broke out last summer. 'They were looking for who they thought were the enemy' The group I'm with were invited by community activist Naveed Sadiq, who was there that day. As well as Naveed, there are three other local Muslim men, and two white residents, including Gerry Moynihan. He recalls deciding to stay at home that day. "They were looking for what they thought were the enemy - white people - and trying to find white people," he says. "Which is why I stayed in my house, because the intelligence I had was, don't get involved, don't walk around, and you know, it will pass." I ask the group if my team and I were targeted because we were white. "It's not because you're white, it's because they're actually bored," Naveed says. "They were wanting a bit of excitement." I ask if they think it would have happened if we were all British Asian. "Of course," Tanveer replies. "It wasn't the fact that you were white… it was just the heat of the moment". Naeem believes it happened simply because the men involved "do not want anyone filming what they're doing". "You could have been Asian… they would still try to get you out of the area," he insists. 'Are we going to be accepted?' I'm keen to understand how these men feel now and whether the sentiment that brought people out on to the streets to "protect" them has been reignited by the recent protests outside hotels housing asylum seekers. The answer, from Joe Khann, a local Muslim man, would surprise many. "I would like to go and join them," he says, referring to the anti-immigration protesters who have gathered several times in Epping. "We have this problem within our own communities, and people don't talk about it. We feel exactly the same and we understand how the English feel with the immigration," he explains. "We're having people who are getting married back home, they get married for six months, get divorced…and the government gives them all their help to get accommodation, their national insurance numbers and all that," he says. "We're getting fed up within our own community because we hear this constantly." However, he thinks if he did try to join in protests, people would "think I'm an immigrant". He says he is "born here, 58, and they look at me as a foreigner or a migrant". Naeem agrees. "The question is for us now, as people who are born and bred in this country, what is our identity? Who are we?" he asks. "As a white person born in this country, you are automatically accepted. Are we going to be accepted? How many generations will it take for us to be accepted?" 'You have to blame someone' Naeem is also concerned about immigration. "We have an influx of people that we do not know about, and they have no loyalty to the area," he says. "I believe that the average white guy… isn't racist, they're just fed up," adds Naveed. However, these men do have grievances, particularly with the media. "We feel that we have a two-tier journalists system where when the colour is like mine we get different justice and when the colour is a bit paler it's different," Naveed says. 'We have become the bogeyman' "When there's criminality, and it's on the news, a Muslim has to be identified by his religion," Naeem says. He believes Muslims have become the "bogeyman" in many people's minds. "Where you don't have housing for example, where the crime has increased, you have to blame someone," he says. "Prior it was the Irish community, now it's the Muslim community. "It's a distraction from the actual real issues and how you can resolve them but let's just put it on to the Muslim community for now, let's just distract the whole nation and say look it's the problem with asylum, it's a problem with Muslims," he says. After leaving, I head over to the spot on the roundabout where my team were targeted last year. As I stand there, my colleague sees a man imitating pulling the trigger of a gun at me from his car.
