Evil nursery worker Roksana Lecka abused 21 babies in plain sight then made sick boasts

Roksana Lecka has been sentenced to eight years in prison, closing a harrowing chapter of families whose children were so cruelly abused by the twisted nursery worker.

Last year, the 22-year-old began work at Riverside Nursery, a high-end Montessori nursery in the leafy south-west London suburb of Twickenham Green, which has since closed. It was here that she took advantage of her position in the most grotesque of ways, violently assaulting the little ones in her care.

Some of the victims were as young as ten months old, too young to report their mistreatment. Lecka worked at the almost £2,000 per month nursery for just five months, but in that time, she managed to assault 21 children,taking sly steps to conceal her behaviour from her colleagues.

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When concerns were finally raised, the damning CCTV footage of Lecka kicking, punching and scratching victims proved so horrific that it elicited gasps in Kingston Crown Court, where her subsequent trial was held.

Police said Lecka had abused children at two nurseries between October 2023 and June 2024. One of these counts related to Little Munchkins in Hounslow, while the rest were linked to Riverside.

Lecka, from Hounslow, confessed to seven counts of child cruelty, while making "excuses" for her vile behaviour. It took jurors nine hours and 53 minutes to convict her of 14 of the remaining 17 child cruelty counts, acquitting her of three.

Here, the Mirror takes a look at Lecka's reign of terror, including her reportedly remorseless antics behind bars.

Abuse in plain sight

Lecka, who moved to the UK from Poland at the age of three, appeared to live a double life. Social media shows her beaming for happy family photos, while helping her mother raise her baby siblings, potty training and bottle feeding them.

One TikTok video shows Lecka's "proud" mother praising her "wonderful" daughter, the Mail on Sunday reports. Even after Lecka's crimes came to light, her mother continued to defend her, telling the publication, "It's not that bad. She didn't kill anyone."

Former barmaid Lecka would later tell the court that it was her experience caring for her siblings, now aged five and 15, that made her want to work in a nursery, sharing: "We have an inseparable bond. I see them as I would my own children."

In January 2024, Lecka, who possesses no qualifications, successfully applied for a permanent job at Riverside Nursery, providing three references. But behind the guise of a helpful daughter was a very different persona, and one that she sought to hide from those around her.

At Lecka's trial, Kingston Crown Court was shown shocking footage of Lecka kicking a little boy four times in the face before stepping on his shoulder and kicking him in the face once again. This video drew audible gasps from the public gallery, where several family members of the young victims were seated.

In another video, Lecka could be seen pinching the legs, back and underarm of a crying girl. A third clip showed her grabbing a baby out of their crib, before pinching and punching them.

Prosecutors noted that Lecka could be seen "looking around" at other staff members, keeping an eye on who was "watching these assaults occur."

At Lecka's sentencing hearing today, Kingston Crown Court heard victim impact statements from the parents of the 21 children. One mother looked directly at Lecka from the witness box as she read her statement, telling the court: "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, making reference to the incriminating 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 also heard from a different third mother about how some of the CCTV showed babies "reach back out to Roksana after she hurt them".

She stated: "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 parents expressed fears over what further abuse their little ones may have endured, with one father telling the court that his wife "always says" that, had Lecka not been caught, "she could have gone on to seriously injure or even kill".

Det Insp Sian Hutchings of the Met Police’s Public Protection Command said today: “Today’s sentencing concludes a complex and emotional investigation. The victims in this case are just babies, with the youngest being just 10 months at the time of the offences.

“Something which our officers have found shocking throughout this investigation is Roksana’s lack of accountability and her inability to explain her unjustifiable actions. As a result of the hard work from our dedicated investigation team and our partners, this woman will no longer be able to harm children.”

Suspicions raised and cops' horror find

Lecka was finally caught after parents and staff members began to notice bruises and scratches, and she was suspended on June 28, 2024. Met Police detectives trawled through nursery CCTV, and found footage of Lecka pinching and scratching children beneath their clothes on their arms, legs and stomachs.

She pinched several children dozens of times over the course of just one day, causing them to cry and flinch away from her, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said.

On one harrowing occasion, she kicked a little boy in the face several times, and she was also seen pushing babies headfirst over cots and covering a toddler's mouth when he started to cry.

Det Sgt Geoff Boye stated: "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."

The parents of more than half of the affected victims are now suing Dukes Education, which runs more than 50 independent schools, colleges and nurseries across the UK, expressing astonishment that the abuse continued for as long as it did.

One anonymous parent, whose child is now in another nursery, said that her trust had been broken by "evil" Lecka, warning others: "'If you see your child upset, you immediately think someone is hurting them. It has created a sense of mistrust."

Smirking at officers

Footage of Lecka's arrest also makes for chilling viewing, with the disgraced nursery worker seen smirking in the living room of her home, as officers advised her of the serious accusations she faced. Showing no apparent remorse, Lecka coldly replied: "Yeah I have heard about that".

Additional video evidence shows Lecka seared in her police interview, answering "no comment" to every single question. Even when shown pictures of the little children's injuries, she failed to show any emotion.

Appearing bored, Lecka could be seen playing with her hair as a female detective read out details of the horrific injuries she inflicted on the children. The officer then asked, "I'm sorry, am I boring you?"

Lecka responded, "No, I'm listening", but appeared just as disinterested when another officer asked her about kicking the boy in the face. She also replied "no comment" when asked whether she had "any empathy for those children you've assaulted".

Cannabis defence

After she was charged with 24 counts of child cruelty, Lecka admitted to seven of these charges, but denied a further 17, claiming her cannabis habit had impacted her memory to the point where she was unable to remember her own actions.

In her prepared statement, Lecka said: "I deny assaulting any children at the Riverside Nursery." When asked before the court if this was a lie, Lecka responded: "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 then asserted, "The amount of cannabis I was smoking was still affecting me; in that period of time, it affected my memory." Lecka said she was also "addicted" to her vape, telling the court: "At that time I was really addicted to vapes, I would smoke two little crystal disposables a day. 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."

At the time she was suspended from the nursery, Lecka claimed she had been "over-prioritising" her boyfriend, whom she was "addicted" to. She alleged: "I was with my boyfriend every night. I was addicted to him."

Addressing jurors during Lecka's trial, prosecutor Tracy Ayling argued that smoking cannabis and not being able to vape were "excuses". She remarked, "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."

Grim prison friendship

Lecka has allegedly made a twisted friendship behind the notorious bars of HMP Bronzefield, becoming close with babysitter killer Sabrina Kouider.

Kouider, who had a baby with a Boyzone member, was sentenced to life in prison back in 2018 alongside partner Ouissem Medouni, 40, after they tortured and killed their French nanny Sophie Lionnet, 21, before callously tossing her body on a bonfire.

Lecka and Kouider, dubbed the "glam lags" reportedly became "inseparable", and would hang around mocking other inmates, who claim neither of the women have shown "any remorse" for their unthinkable crimes.

One former prisoner, who served a sentence for assault, claimed: "Lecka would walk around like she had not done anything - she looks down on people. She is very good friends with Sabrina Kouider, who killed her babysitter. They are best pals. Sabrina is a narcissistic, horrible person. They will chill together, sit up, talk about people, laugh at them, and make fun of people. They are going on like they own the place.

"I would see them every day. I would not talk to Roksana as I couldn't stand what she had done. She was boastful and thinks so highly of herself. She was very vain - always dressed up with eyelashes and make-up on. They were more focused on their image than showing any remorse for what they did."

They continued: "I was appalled and shocked by it. I was disgusted - the way she walked about like she had not done anything. I overheard conversations where she was boasting she was going to get off.

"After I got out, I saw on the news a few days ago the scale of what she had done. It was disgusting. I should have known, the fact she befriended Sabrina I should have known she was guilty.

"Roksana seemed gleeful. She had no remorse whatsoever for what she did. She was boastful and just thinks so highly of herself.

A spokesperson for HMP Bronzefield previously stated: “We don't comment on individuals."

A representative from Twickenham Green nursery expressed their distress over the situation, stating: “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.”

The nursery further stated that they took immediate action upon receiving complaints about Lecka’s behaviour, which ultimately led to her arrest.

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