A 22-year-old nursery worker has been sentenced to eight years in prison for the 'sadistic' abuse of 21 babies at two nurseries in London. Roksana Lecka, from Hounslow, admitted to seven counts of cruelty to a person under 16 and was convicted of a further 14 counts by a jury at Kingston Crown Court in June.
Lecka's crimes included pinching, scratching, pushing and kicking children, with one incident showing her kicking a little boy in the face several times and stepping on his shoulder. The abuse took place between October 2023 and June 2024 at Montessori Riverside Nursery in Twickenham and Little Munchkins in Hounslow.
During the trial, parents described the devastation caused by her actions, with one mother stating that Lecka had preyed on 'innocent and vulnerable' children who could not speak or defend themselves. Another parent said that CCTV footage showed babies reaching back to Lecka after she had hurt them, calling her the 'worst kind of human'.
The court heard that Lecka would pinch, slap, punch and kick the children, as well as pulling their ears, hair and toes. Judge Plaschkes KC described her conduct as 'gratuitous violence' and 'sadistic', noting that the children were often happily minding their own business before she deliberately inflicted pain.
Lecka told police she smoked cannabis before her shifts and said she would get moody if she could not vape at work. She initially denied assaulting any children but changed her pleas after being shown enhanced CCTV footage. The nursery has since closed.
Detective Inspector Sian Hutchings praised the strength of the victims' families, who had to sit in court and watch the disturbing footage. Lecka was sentenced to eight years in prison, with the judge exempting the jury from future service for the next 10 years due to the nature of the evidence.
