Latest news with #Hounslow
The Guardian
4 days ago
- The Guardian
Woman, 22, convicted of abusing 21 babies at nursery where she worked
A 22-year-old nursery worker has been convicted of abusing 21 babies, including kicking one little boy in the face and stepping on his shoulder during a harrowing campaign of abuse. Roksana Lecka, from Hounslow, admitted seven counts of cruelty to a person under the age of 16 and was convicted of another 14 counts by a jury at Kingston crown court. Her crimes were discovered in June last year after she was sent home for pinching a number of children and appearing 'flustered' at the Riverside Nursery in Twickenham, south-west London, the Crown Prosecution Service said. Detectives from the Metropolitan police went through CCTV from the nursery that showed her pinching and scratching children under their clothes on their arms, legs and stomachs. She pinched several children dozens of times in the course of one day, causing them to cry and flinch away from her, the CPS said. In one incident she kicked a little boy in the face several times. She was also seen to push babies headfirst over cots and cover a toddler's mouth when he started to cry. The Met said she had abused children at two nurseries between October 2023 and June 2024 – one of the counts related to Little Munchkins in Hounslow, with the remainder linked to Riverside, which has since closed. DS Geoff Boye said: 'Footage showed Lecka carrying out multiple assaults on the children in her care which included repeatedly pinching and grabbing children, dropping babies into their cots and, on one occasion, she delivered several kicks to a young boy to the face and stepped on his shoulder.' Lecka told police she smoked cannabis before her shifts, and at one point was seen vaping a metre away from a young baby. DI Sian Hutchings said: 'These families left their children in Lecka's care, trusting her to protect their children as well as the other staff at the nurseries clearly did. 'The footage of her offences against defenceless children was disturbing. 'I would like to praise the strength of the victims' families who have had to sit in court and watch footage of the abuse which Lecka inflicted on their children.' Lecka worked at Riverside Nursery between January and June 2024, with a number of parents reporting unusual injuries and bruising in March and May that year. She will be sentenced at Kingston crown court on 26 September. Senior crown prosecutor Gemma Burns said: 'Lecka repeatedly showed exceptional cruelty in her appalling treatment of these babies. No parent should have to fear leaving their child in the care of professionals, but the sheer scale of her abuse is staggering. 'The CPS put forward compelling evidence that clearly showed her targeting children when colleagues were either out of the room, or had their backs turned. We also called on experts to prove that the injuries Lecka's victims sustained were consistent with pinch marks. 'Lecka was placed in a position of trust and her job required her to provide safety and protection. Instead, she kicked, scratched and pinched these young children, with this vile abuse of vulnerable victims continuing for many months.' A number of parents contacted lawyers after Lecka's abuse emerged. Solicitor Jemma Till, from Irwin Mitchell, said: 'The families we represent are not only deeply shocked but also traumatised by what their children have endured. 'This is sadly yet another devastating case where children have suffered at the hands of someone in a position of trust. 'Whilst Lecka's actions have been stopped, the consequences of those actions are likely to affect families for many years. Nothing can undo what has happened, but it's now vital that lessons are learned and, where appropriate, measures introduced to prevent other children being harmed. 'In the meantime, we're focused on supporting the families and helping them come to terms with Lecka's dreadful actions.' Munira Wilson, the Liberal Democrat MP for Twickenham, said it was 'incredibly important that families see justice done and the children get all the support they need to recover from this trauma'. She claimed there was a need for 'urgent reforms to make nurseries and early years settings safe for our children'. She added: 'Nurseries must be subject to no-notice Ofsted inspections where safeguarding concerns can be raised and CCTV footage is reviewed. 'I will be working with colleagues to make sure these tragedies never happen again – every parent should know their child is safe when left at nursery.'
BBC News
4 days ago
- BBC News
Nursery worker Roksana Lecka convicted of abusing 21 babies
A 22-year-old nursery worker has been convicted of abusing 21 babies, including kicking one little boy in the face and stepping on his Lecka, from Hounslow, west London, admitted seven counts of cruelty to a person under the age of 16 and was found guilty of another 14 by a jury at Kingston Crown Court, the Metropolitan Police crimes were discovered in June last year after she was sent home for pinching a number of children and appearing "flustered" at the Riverside Nursery in Twickenham, south-west London, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) Jemma Till from Irwin Mitchell said the families involved had been "traumatised". Detectives from the Met Police went through CCTV from the nursery that showed her pinching and scratching children under their clothes on their arms, legs and stomachs. She pinched several children dozens of times in the course of one day, causing them to cry and flinch away from her, the CPS one incident she kicked a little boy in the face several times. She was also seen to push babies headfirst over cots and cover a toddler's mouth when he started to Metropolitan Police said she had abused children at two nurseries between October 2023 and June 2024 - one of the counts related to Little Munchkins in Hounslow, with the remainder linked to the Riverside Nursery in Twickenham, which has since Sgt Geoff Boye said: "Footage showed Lecka carrying out multiple assaults on the children in her care which included repeatedly pinching and grabbing children, dropping babies into their cots and on one occasion, she delivered several kicks to a young boy to the face and stepped on his shoulder." 'Exceptional cruelty' Lecka told police she smoked cannabis before her shifts, and at one point was seen vaping a metre away from a young Insp Sian Hutchings said: "These families left their children in Lecka's care, trusting her to protect their children as well as the other staff at the nurseries clearly did."The footage of her offences against defenceless children was disturbing."I would like to praise the strength of the victims' families who have had to sit in court and watch footage of the abuse which Lecka inflicted on their children."Lecka worked at Riverside Nursery between January and June 2024, with a number of parents reporting unusual injuries and bruising in March and May that crown prosecutor Gemma Burns said Lecka had "shown exceptional cruelty" to the babies. "No parent should have to fear leaving their child in the care of professionals, but the sheer scale of her abuse is staggering," she added. She will be sentenced at Kingston Crown Court on 26 September.
The Independent
4 days ago
- The Independent
Nursery worker kicked boy in face and vaped in front of small baby
A nursery worker who kicked a young boy in the face as part of a harrowing campaign of abuse has been found guilty of child cruelty. Roksana Lecka was caught on CCTV roughly placing children on the floor causing them to cry and vaping less than a metre from a small baby on more than one occasion. The 22-year-old of Avro Place, Hounslow, admitted seven counts of cruelty to a person under the age of 16 and was convicted of another 14 counts by a jury at Kingston Crown Court on Monday. The trial followed a Met investigation, which found Lecka had abused children as young as ten months at two separate nurseries in Twickenham and Hounslow between October 2023 and June 2024. Officers started to investigate Lecka in June 2024, after a member of staff at the nursery raised their concerns about her behaviour. They reviewed over 45 hours of CCTV from 28 June 2024. Children's parents gave statements and shared pictures of injuries showing multiple red marks, bruises and scratched on the children. The victim's families received specialist support from officers. Lecka was arrested at her home on 5 July on suspicion of child cruelty offences. During an interview, she answered no comment to all questions and refused to acknowledge her actions when shown the CCTV footage. She was released on bail whilst officers within the Child Abuse Investigation Team continued enquiries. Detective Sergeant Geoff Boye of Met Police's Public Protection Command said Lecka's offending was 'prolific'. 'Footage showed Lecka carrying out multiple assaults on the children in her care which included repeatedly pinching and grabbing children, dropping babies into their cots and on one occasion, she delivered several kicks to a young boy to the face and stepped on his shoulder,' he said. 'She was further arrested and charged on 25 July 2024 with 12 counts of child cruelty, 12 counts of actual bodily harm and one count of attempting to cause grievous bodily harm with intent.' Following an initial appearance in court, this indictment was amended to 24 counts of child cruelty against 24 separate children. Lecka was convicted on Monday, 16 June of 21 counts of child cruelty. The jury found her not guilty on three counts. She will appear at Kingston Crown Court on Friday, 26 September for sentencing. Detective Inspector Sian Hutchings of Met Police's Public Protection Command said: 'Despite being given multiple opportunities to do so, Lecka never admitted to her offences during the course of the investigation or gave any real insight into what caused her to do this. This has added more pain and confusion to the victims' families. 'These families left their children in Lecka's care, trusting her to take protect their children as well as the other staff at the nurseries clearly did. 'The footage of her offences against defenceless children was disturbing. 'I would like to praise the strength of the victim's families who have had to sit in court and watch footage of the abuse which Lecka inflicted on their children.'
The Independent
4 days ago
- The Independent
Nursery worker showed ‘exceptional cruelty' to 21 babies
A 22-year-old nursery worker abused 21 babies, kicking one little boy in the face and stepping on his shoulder during a harrowing campaign of abuse. Roksana Lecka, from Hounslow, admitted seven counts of cruelty to a person under the age of 16 and was convicted of another 14 counts by a jury at Kingston Crown Court. Her crimes were discovered in June last year after she was sent home for pinching a number of children and appearing 'flustered' at the Riverside Nursery in Twickenham, south-west London, the Crown Prosecution Service said. Detectives from the Metropolitan Police went through CCTV from the nursery that showed her pinching and scratching children under their clothes on their arms, legs and stomachs. She pinched several children dozens of times in the course of one day, causing them to cry and flinch away from her, the CPS said. In one incident she kicked a little boy in the face several times. She was also seen to push babies headfirst over cots and cover a toddler's mouth when he started to cry. The Metropolitan Police said she had abused children at two nurseries between October 2023 and June 2024 – one of the counts related to Little Munchkins in Hounslow, with the remainder linked to Riverside, which has since closed. Detective Sergeant Geoff Boye said: 'Footage showed Lecka carrying out multiple assaults on the children in her care which included repeatedly pinching and grabbing children, dropping babies into their cots and on one occasion, she delivered several kicks to a young boy to the face and stepped on his shoulder.' Detective Inspector Sian Hutchings said: 'These families left their children in Lecka's care, trusting her to protect their children as well as the other staff at the nurseries clearly did. 'The footage of her offences against defenceless children was disturbing. 'I would like to praise the strength of the victims' families who have had to sit in court and watch footage of the abuse which Lecka inflicted on their children.' Lecka worked at Riverside Nursery between January and June 2024, with a number of parents reporting unusual injuries and bruising in March and May that year. She will be sentenced at Kingston Crown Court on September 26. Senior crown prosecutor Gemma Burns said: 'Lecka repeatedly showed exceptional cruelty in her appalling treatment of these babies. No parent should have to fear leaving their child in the care of professionals, but the sheer scale of her abuse is staggering. 'The CPS put forward compelling evidence that clearly showed her targeting children when colleagues were either out of the room, or had their backs turned. We also called on experts to prove that the injuries Lecka's victims sustained were consistent with pinch marks. 'Lecka was placed in a position of trust and her job required her to provide safety and protection. Instead, she kicked, scratched and pinched these young children, with this vile abuse of vulnerable victims continuing for many months.'
Telegraph
5 days ago
- General
- Telegraph
Mother of two is first British Air India crash victim released to family
The first body of a British Air India crash victim has been released to her family. A funeral was held on Sunday for 'sweet' and 'gentle' mother of two Elcina Alpesh Makwana, 42, just three days after she told her parents not to worry as she boarded the flight to Gatwick Airport. Mrs Makwana, who was visiting India for dental work, is the first of 53 British nationals to die in the crash whose remains were returned by authorities. Family described Mrs Makwana, who lived in Hounslow, London, as 'a gentle soul' and incredibly hard-working. Her body was formally identified through DNA testing and taken to Pensionpora Cemetery Vadodara in Gujarat on Sunday morning for funeral rites. Her husband Alpesh, 52, and her two children, aged seven and 11, flew out to India and arrived on Saturday ahead of a Roman Catholic Service today. Her uncle Joseph Patelia told The Telegraph she had called her father Edwin Patelia to say she'd boarded safely but her sister later learnt the plane had crashed on the news. 'Before take-off, she called her father to say she'd boarded safely and would call again once she landed in London,' he said. 'That call never came. She vanished just like that leaving us in shock, in tears, unable to believe what we were hearing. 'About 15 minutes after that call, her younger sister Anne saw the news of a plane crash. She ran to her father and said, 'Please check if Elcina was on that flight.' That's when our nightmare began.' He revealed that Mrs Makwana, who previously ran a telecoms business with her husband, had come to India for dental treatment and to spend time with her parents. 'Elcina had come to India for dental treatment, it's quite expensive in the UK, and obviously to spend time with her parents,' he added. 'She'd been having frequent toothaches. She travelled alone, and her husband Alpesh and their two young children, an 11-year-old daughter and a 7-year-old son, arrived here just yesterday.' 'A truly gentle soul' Paying tribute to his niece, Mr Patelia said she was a 'gentle soul' and supported poor children in India by paying for education. 'Elcina was incredibly sweet, kind and generous, a truly gentle soul,' he said. 'She had adopted two children back home and was paying for their education. She gave quietly, never seeking attention. 'She had struggled a lot in life, moving to London over 15 years ago, taking on part-time jobs to support her family there and her parents here in India. She had no brothers, so she took on every responsibility herself. 'Her loss is devastating. She was the bond that held our entire family together.' Investigators are continuing to search the crash site in the Meghaninagar district of Ahmedabad 1.5km metres from the end of the runway at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport. The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner headed for London Gatwick crashed into a hostel where medical students and their families were living just 30 seconds after take-off. India has ordered urgent safety tests of Boeing 787s and the flight data recorder, known as the black box, had been recovered and was being looked into by investigators. Only one of the 241 people onboard survived the crash. The sole surviving passenger, Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, from Leicester, was sitting in seat 11A.
