Pinched, slapped, punched, nursery worker convicted of abusing 21 babies in UK

A 22-year-old woman who worked in two nurseries in the UK was sentenced on Friday to eight years in prison for molesting 21 babies, acts that were “gratuitous” and “sadistic”, according to the judge.

 

It's the kind of story every parent of a toddler fears. Indeed, a young woman, Roksana Lecka, aged 22, was sentenced on Friday to eight years in prison for molesting 21 babies in two British nurseries where she worked. These were “gratuitous” and “sadistic” acts, according to Sarah Plaschkes, the judge in charge of the case. The young woman committed numerous “acts of cruelty” in the two establishments where she was employed between October 2023 and June 2024 on the outskirts of London, Sarah Plaschkes emphasized in her decision. The young woman, who said she was addicted to cannabis, admitted to committing such acts against seven children under the age of 16, and the court in Kingston, south-west of the capital, found her guilty of similar acts against 14 others at her trial.

 

These children were "pinched, slapped, hit, slapped and kicked. You pulled their ears, hair and toes“, listed the judge, ”multiple acts of gratuitous violence" perpetrated when she was out of sight. Surveillance videos from the second nursery, Riverside, show Roksana Lecka pinching and scratching children on the arms, legs and abdomen, or kicking a little boy in the face.

 

Numerous parents were present in the room to witness the verdict, and recounted on the stand the impact of this violence on their children and themselves. "These children were so innocent and vulnerable. They couldn't speak, they couldn't defend themselves (...) they were totally helpless and Roksana attacked them", said an indignant mother.

 

The judge described his behavior as “sadistic”, while the Irwin Mitchell law firm, representing 18 of the families, questioned how Lecka's assaults could have gone “unnoticed”, before they were discovered in June 2024.