What should have been a safe, nurturing space for babies turned into a scene of unimaginable abuse.
At a £1,900-a-month Montessori nursery in Twickenham, southwest London, a young nursery worker has now been found guilty of a horrifying string of assaults—on the very children she was paid to protect.
Twenty-two-year-old Roksana Lecka, who worked at Riverside Nursery, was today convicted of physically abusing 21 toddlers in her care.
The jury heard deeply disturbing details and watched stomach-turning footage that left even the most composed parents and jurors in tears.
Shocking Abuse Captured on CCTV
The abuse wasn’t just alleged—it was caught on camera.
CCTV footage played in Kingston Crown Court showed Lecka kicking a boy in the face multiple times, dragging babies out of cots, pinching crying toddlers, and even punching one child in the side.
At times, she could be seen vaping indoors and glancing around nervously to see if any staff members were watching.
The injuries were so severe that parents began noticing unexplained bruises and scratches on their children.
By March of last year, several had started documenting the wounds and raising alarm.
It wasn’t until June 28, 2024, that Lecka was officially suspended, setting off an investigation that uncovered months of deliberate cruelty.
Courtroom in Tears as Verdict Delivered
The trial came to a harrowing conclusion today, with the jury finding Lecka guilty of 21 assaults.
She had previously admitted to seven counts of child cruelty but denied 17 others.
After almost ten hours of deliberation, jurors convicted her on 14 more counts and cleared her of three.
As the verdicts were read out, parents openly wept in the public gallery.
Even Lecka, facing the full weight of justice, cried as she was led away in custody.
Her sentencing has been scheduled for September 26.
A Catalogue of Excuses From the Abuser
Lecka’s defense? A shocking mix of blame and deflection.
She told the court that she couldn’t remember many of the incidents because she was often high from smoking cannabis the night before.
She claimed she was addicted to vaping and even admitted to sneaking puffs in the nursery, hiding her vape in her bra.
She insisted that her cruel actions were misinterpreted—describing a vicious yank of a toddler’s hair as a “gentle ruffle,” and punching a baby as “rough handling.”
One child’s black-and-blue stomach? Just “playful pokes,” she said.
Her explanations did little to convince the jury.
“I Was Addicted to My Boyfriend,” She Said
During testimony, Lecka painted a picture of personal chaos.
She said she was obsessed with her boyfriend, spending every night with him and neglecting sleep.
She confessed that during the week of her suspension, she was more focused on her relationship than her job.
Still, she insisted that her memory lapses were due to drug use, not malice.
“I didn’t know what I was doing,” she told the court.
But prosecutors weren’t buying it, saying her actions were not only deliberate but repeated.
“She kept going back for more,” the prosecution stated.
A Nursery in Disarray
It wasn’t just Lecka’s actions under scrutiny.
Her trial exposed a chaotic work environment at Riverside Nursery.
Lecka admitted she hadn’t completed basic safeguarding training, and turnover among staff was so high that inexperienced workers were constantly training one another.
Despite this, she was praised by her managers and even given flowers.
One head teacher, Noor, allegedly told her she was doing “really well” and promised support for her to pursue a childcare qualification.
Experts Say Injuries Couldn’t Be Accidental
Medical professionals brought into the case said the injuries these children suffered could not have happened by accident.
Bruised earlobes, stomachs, and thighs—these were all deliberate, according to consultant paediatrician Dr. Stephen Rose. “Ears don’t bruise on their own,” he told the jury.
A Pattern of Abuse Hidden in Plain Sight
The extent of the abuse raises painful questions.
How did this go unnoticed for so long? According to the CPS, Lecka often waited until co-workers were out of the room or had their backs turned to harm the children.
Some of the worst assaults happened when no one else was paying attention.
Even though suspicions eventually grew among staff, the façade Lecka had built as a “model employee” helped her evade detection for months.
It was only when multiple parents and concerned staff pieced things together—and CCTV was reviewed—that the full scale of her cruelty became undeniable.
A Heartbreaking Breach of Trust
A spokesperson for Riverside Nurseries said they were “deeply distressed” by the case and that the abuse represented a “profound breach of trust.”
They offered sympathy to the affected families and reiterated their commitment to safeguarding and child safety going forward.
Prosecutors Call Her Actions “Exceptional Cruelty”
The Crown Prosecution Service did not mince words.
“Lecka repeatedly showed exceptional cruelty in her appalling treatment of these babies,” said Gemma Burns of the CPS.
“She was placed in a position of trust and instead chose to abuse the most vulnerable in our society.”
The prosecution argued convincingly that her injuries were not only intentional, but strategic—targeting toddlers when she knew she wouldn’t be seen.
The CPS also highlighted the expert testimony that revealed consistent patterns of physical abuse.
Sentencing Still to Come
Lecka remains in custody and will be sentenced at Kingston Crown Court on September 26.
The outcome is likely to be a lengthy prison term, considering the scale and severity of her crimes.
For now, devastated families are left trying to rebuild trust in childcare—something that should never have been broken in the first place.