Roksana Lecka, a nursery worker sentenced to eight years in prison for abusing 21 babies at two nurseries in west London, is now living freely in her native Poland after serving only 14 months in a British jail. The 23-year-old was deported to Poland in February under the UK government's Early Removal Scheme, but Polish authorities have confirmed they lacked the legal powers to detain her upon arrival.
Deportation and Lack of Detention
Major Dagmara Bielec of the Nadwislanski Border Guard Unit told local media: "A Polish citizen expelled from Great Britain has returned to the country, but her arrival did not take place under any of the formal international co-operation procedures in force between Poland and Great Britain." According to Polish reports, Lecka was not entered into relevant criminal databases or international alert systems, preventing officers from detaining her. Officials stated that without official UK documentation regarding her expulsion and no corresponding entries in national or international law-enforcement systems, border guards processed her under normal entry procedures.
Lecka landed in Warsaw on February 5, but her current whereabouts remain unknown. She is banned from returning to the UK.
Details of the Abuse
Lecka's crimes, described as "gratuitous" and "sadistic," occurred between 2023 and 2024. She admitted seven counts of cruelty to a person under 16 and was convicted after trial of another 14 counts. At her sentencing last September, Judge Sarah Plaschkes KC detailed how Lecka "pinched, slapped, punched, smacked and kicked" children, "pulled their ears, hair and their toes," and toppled them "headfirst into cots," causing bruising and red marks. The judge noted: "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 in distress. Time after time you calmly watched the pain and suffering you have caused. Your criminal conduct can properly be characterised as sadistic."
Lecka was caught after parents and staff noticed bruises and scratches on children. Police found CCTV footage of her scratching and pinching children under their clothes, on their arms, legs, and stomachs. She attempted to defend her actions by claiming sleep deprivation and addiction to cannabis and vapes.
Impact on Victims' Families
Parents of the victims expressed heartbreak and guilt. One father, whose son was abused by Lecka, called her deportation after just 14 months "completely inappropriate" and "really hard to swallow." He told the BBC: "We felt it undermined all that time and emotion that had gone into the trial. Preparing our witness statements and our victim-impact statements, going through the trauma of that whole investigation and trial, to get a sentence brought a sense of closure and we could all move on from it. But then for that sentence not to be served, it was a bit of a hollow feeling." He added that there is "too much focus on cost savings, rather than upholding the principles of the system."
Government Response
At the time of Lecka's deportation, Liberal Democrat MP Munira Wilson raised concerns in the House of Commons, noting that victims' parents had not been told whether Lecka would serve the rest of her sentence or go free. After writing to the Home Office, Wilson was informed by ministers that due to time on remand before trial, Lecka became eligible for deportation on October 7, 2025 – less than two weeks after receiving her eight-year sentence.
Alex Norris, minister for border security and asylum, wrote to Wilson: "Whilst Lecka is not required to serve the remainder of her sentence in Poland, we have made Polish law enforcement aware of her convictions so that appropriate safeguarding actions can be taken by the Polish authorities." However, Polish authorities reportedly cannot monitor her movements or warn childcare institutions about her past, raising fears she could find new work with children.
A Ministry of Justice spokesman said: "These were appalling crimes, and our thoughts remain with the victims and their families. This Government is deporting foreign national offenders at pace, with more than 5,000 deported last year - a 14 per cent increase on the previous year."
