Roksana Lecka abused 21 babies, mostly when she worked at Riverside Nursery in Twickenham, southwest London, acts which caused the families significant “emotional trauma”
A judge described a nursery nurse “sadistic” for abusing 21 babies – as she jailed the woman for eight years.
Judge Sarah Plaschkes KC said Roksana Lecka, 22, should never be allowed to work with children again following her actions at two nurseries. The defendant admitted seven counts of cruelty to a person under the age of 16, and was convicted after a trial of another 14 counts over her “gratuitous” and “sadistic” behaviour.
The judge heard detail of the heartbreak, guilt and distrust the victims’ families had suffered after Lecka’s actions came to light. Lecka was addicted to cannabis and vaping around that time, which she did not tell the main setting.
Sentencing the young woman, Judge Plaschkes KC said in full: “You committed multiple acts of gratuitous violence. You pinched, slapped, punched, smacked and kicked them. You pulled their ears, hair and their toes. You toppled children headfirst into cots. You caused bruising and lingering red marks.
“When you committed these acts of cruelty you would look at the other members of staff to make sure that they were not watching you. 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 around in distress.
“Time after time you calmly watched the pain and suffering you have caused. Your criminal conduct can properly be characterised as sadistic.”
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Lecka’s crimes were discovered in June last year after she was sent home for pinching a number of children at Riverside Nursery in Twickenham, southwest London. One of the counts related to Little Munchkins in Hounslow, west London, with the remainder linked to Riverside, which has since closed.
The abuse at the two nurseries between October 2023 and June 2024, police said. Some of the parents of the children harmed took to the witness box to deliver their words in front of a full courtroom – including Lecka’s loved ones and four jurors who returned to watch the sentencing yesterday.
The warped nursery nurse, of from Hounslow, pinched and scratched children under their clothes on their arms, legs and stomachs. Metropolitan Police detectives went through CCTV from Riverside which caught Lecka in the act, and was played to Kingston Crown Court during the woman’s trial.
In one incident she kicked a little boy in the face several times. She was also seen to cover a toddler’s mouth when he started to cry. On Friday, one mother looked directly at Lecka as she said: “These children were so innocent and vulnerable.
“They couldn’t speak, they couldn’t defend themselves and they couldn’t tell us as parents that something had happened to them. They were totally helpless and Roksana preyed upon them.”
Arlette Piercy, defending, said her client has expressed remorse and cited her previous good character and young age in mitigation. The court heard Lecka wrote a letter to the court saying she has reflected on her actions, wanted to apologise to parents and that cannabis turned her into a different person. The defendant was also found not guilty of three counts of child cruelty.