Shock and heartbreak have gripped parents and communities in west London after Roksana Lecka, a 22-year-old nursery worker, was sentenced to eight years in prison for a string of brutal abuses against 21 babies under her care. The crimes, described by Judge Sarah Plaschkes KC as "gratuitous" and "sadistic," unfolded across two nurseries—Riverside Nursery in Twickenham and Little Munchkins in Hounslow—between October 2023 and June 2024, as reported by multiple outlets including BBC, News.com.au, and AFP.
Lecka, who admitted seven counts of cruelty to a person under 16 and was convicted of 14 more by a jury at Kingston Crown Court in June 2025, subjected her infant victims—many just 18 months to two years old—to a campaign of physical and emotional torment. According to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) and police records, her actions included pinching children dozens of times in a single day, scratching, slapping, punching, smacking, and even kicking a little boy in the face several times. She was also seen pushing babies head-first over cots, pulling their ears, hair, and toes, and covering a toddler’s mouth when he began to cry.
The extent of the abuse only came to light after Lecka was sent home from Riverside Nursery in June 2024 for pinching several children and appearing "flustered." Parents had already started reporting unexplained injuries and bruising on their children as early as March and May that year. Metropolitan Police detectives reviewed CCTV footage from the nursery, uncovering a disturbing pattern of violence and neglect. "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," said Detective Sergeant Geoff Boye, according to the BBC.
Lecka’s behavior was methodical and calculated. Judge Plaschkes told the court, "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."
The emotional toll on families has been devastating. Parents filled the courtroom at Kingston Crown Court during sentencing, many delivering victim impact statements that painted a picture of heartbreak, guilt, and a deep sense of betrayal. "These children were so innocent and vulnerable," one mother told the court, as reported by AFP. "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 parent, reflecting on 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."
Some parents expressed a profound sense of guilt for having left their children in Lecka’s care, with one mother whose son was kicked in the face stating, "We weren’t there to protect them." The trauma has reverberated beyond the courtroom, with families moving away from London, relationships breaking down, and a lingering distrust of childcare providers. One mother even flew her parents from Panama to care for her daughter while she was away on business, unable to trust anyone else with her child.
According to Sky News, Jemma Till, the lawyer representing 18 families, highlighted the broader questions raised by the case: "Serious questions remain as to how Lecka’s abuse went unchecked for months. 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 sentiment was echoed by parents who wondered what further abuse might have occurred had Lecka not been caught. One father told the court, "If Lecka had not been caught, she could have gone on to seriously injure or even kill."
Lecka’s own explanations for her behavior have done little to ease the pain of her victims’ families. During police interviews, she admitted to regularly smoking cannabis before her shifts, claiming it affected her memory. "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 said in court, as quoted by News.com.au. She also confessed to vaping as close as a meter away from a sleeping baby. Despite these admissions, Lecka showed no remorse during interviews and initially denied the allegations, frustrating officers and families alike. "She was visibly bored in the police interview, gave no comment answers, and didn’t appear bothered by the seriousness of the allegations," said Detective Sergeant Geoff Boye.
In court, Lecka wrote a letter apologizing to the parents and blaming her cannabis addiction for her actions, saying it had "turned her into a different person." Her defense lawyer, Arlette Piercy, cited her young age and previous good character in mitigation, noting that Lecka had been attacked in custody and was now housed in a vulnerable prisoners’ wing. Still, the judge was unequivocal: "You should never be allowed to work with children again." Lecka was found not guilty of three additional counts of child cruelty.
The Riverside Nursery in Twickenham, where most of the abuse took place, has since closed. The case has sparked a wider debate about safeguarding practices in nurseries and the need for better mechanisms to detect and prevent such abuses. Law firm Irwin Mitchell is now working with the affected families to seek answers from the nursery operators and authorities about how Lecka’s actions went undetected for so long.
As the dust settles, the scars left by Roksana Lecka’s crimes remain raw. For the parents and children affected, the journey toward healing will be long and uncertain, haunted by questions of trust and the painful knowledge of what happened behind closed doors.
