Twickenham Montessori nursery worker found guilty of assaulting 21 toddlers; sentencing due

Roksana Lecka, a 22-year-old caregiver at Riverside Montessori in Twickenham, southwest London, was found guilty of assaulting 21 toddlers in her care and is due to be sentenced later today. The offences occurred between January 31 and June 28 last year, and detectives trawled hundreds of hours of CCTV footage that laid bare the scale of the abuse. Lecka cared for children aged 18 months to two years during the period.

Prosecutors said Lecka admitted seven counts of child cruelty while denying 17 others; jurors ultimately found her guilty on 14 counts and acquitted her on three. She remained emotionless as relatives spoke about the impact of the abuse, but she sobbed and asked for a break when a father testified that he believed she could have killed a child if not stopped. The court heard that the Riverside Nursery, part of a prestigious group run by Dukes Education, failed for months to identify Lecka as the culprit, allowing her to continue caring for youngsters until staff raised concerns on June 28 last year and she was arrested.

Victim impact statements from parents conveyed the depth of the trauma. One mother recalled receiving a phone call from a police officer informing her that her son had been attacked by a member of staff, and she described collapsing at her desk upon hearing the news. Parents said their children still show signs of fear, including nightmares and persistent fussiness, and some reported ongoing self-soothing behaviors such as sleeping with a parent to feel safe. A father who works in safeguarding said the case raised questions about how the staff could have remained unidentified and described the situation as “criminal.” He added that if the suspect had not been caught, the harm could have escalated further, including the possibility of serious injury.

Other witnesses highlighted visible injuries that prompted further concern. Mothers described discovering unexplained bruises and pinched skin on their children, leading to efforts to document and report injuries as they learned of the abuse. They expressed guilt for having entrusted their children to a facility perceived as a high-quality early education setting, and some said they would never forget the sight of footage showing the abuse. The trial heard Lecka attempted to rationalize her conduct by claiming sleep deprivation and cannabis use, telling jurors that she had smoked cannabis with her boyfriend and that this had affected her memory. She also cited being moody when she could not vape at work and claimed to be addicted to vaping.

Lecka, who is originally from Poland and moved to the United Kingdom with her family as a child, faced 31 counts in total; she was convicted on 14 of the charges and acquitted on three. During testimony, she described the chaotic environment at the Riverside Nursery and said she could not recall certain incidents due to cannabis use. Investigators reviewed about 300 hours of CCTV footage that showed repeated acts of physical aggression against several toddlers, including a boy kicked in the face and a girl punched in the side. The case has prompted renewed scrutiny of safeguarding practices at nurseries operated by large education groups.

As relatives prepared to confront Lecka in court, several parents emphasized the lasting consequences of the abuse. Dozens of families have been affected, with some relocating to avoid passing by the former nursery and the place where their children were harmed. The Riverside nursery, once heralded as part of a reputable network, has since closed, and the incident has underscored the importance of vigilant safeguarding and robust staff oversight to protect the most vulnerable children. The sentencing hearing was scheduled for later in the day.