Latest news with #cruelty
BBC News
an hour ago
- BBC News
Rabbits attacked and killed in Sunderland Barnes Park
Police and council teams investigating the killing of animals in a park are trying to locate five children seen in the area.A group of people were seen committing acts of cruelty to rabbits in Barnes Park, Sunderland, on 14 June, but they fled the area before police Police said officers are looking to speak to anybody who might have information, while Sunderland City Council has released a photo of a group of youths who they would like to local authority vowed "action will be taken against those responsible" for the attacks. Footage of three children on off-road bikes in the park has also been released as part of the investigation.A council spokesperson said: "There is no excuse for this behaviour. "Our parks are for everyone, not for fear, cruelty or destruction." Follow BBC Sunderland on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
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.'
Sky News
4 days ago
- Sky News
Twickenham nursery worker convicted of mistreating 21 children
A nursery worker has been convicted of mistreating 21 children in her care after she was caught on CCTV pinching, punching and kicking her victims. Prosecutors said the scale of the abuse was "staggering" and Roksana Lecka "showed exceptional cruelty in her appalling treatment" of children over a six-month period at the Riverside Nursery in Twickenham, southwest London. The nursery charged parents up to £1,900 a month to look after youngsters, aged between 18 months and two years, and followed the Montessori method of teaching, which involves allowing children to pursue their natural interests and activities. Lecka, 22, admitted seven charges of child cruelty and was found guilty of 14 further counts by a jury after a trial at Kingston Crown Court. She was cleared of three other charges. One conviction related to a child at another nursery that Lecka worked at in Hounslow, west London, in 2023. The jury heard there were no concerns raised when Lecka applied for a job at the Twickenham nursery, which has now closed, with references from another nursery and two families for whom she had babysat. But it was discovered she had "badly treated" children after a CCTV trawl when a colleague raised the alarm, the court heard. There were gasps from parents in the public gallery - some who were watching the footage for the first time - as it was played in court at the start of the trial. Children could be seen crying and flinching as they were repeatedly pinched and scratched on their arms, legs and stomachs by Lecka - with some attacked dozens of times in a day. Defendant 'addicted to vapes and smoked cannabis' In one clip, she was seen kicking a child on the floor, while others show her pushing children headfirst over cots, shoving one on to a mattress in the sleep room and aggressively covering a toddler's mouth as he started to cry. Prosecutors said Lecka could be seen vaping in another clip before taking a baby from a crib, who she was later filmed pinching and punching her side. Giving evidence, the nursery worker said she would regularly smoke cannabis with her boyfriend and was addicted to vapes. Prosecutor Tracy Ayling KC told the jury Lecka was "looking around at other members of staff and who is watching when these assaults occur". The Metropolitan Police released bodycam footage of the moment Lecka was arrested at her home in Hounslow, west London, and a clip of her answering "no comment" to questions from detectives about the injuries to the children. She said in a prepared statement: "I deny assaulting any children at the Riverside Nursery.... I went into work that day and had a normal day. There were no accidents where any child seemed hurt. "We have procedures for the handling of the children, which I adhered to. I am unaware how any injury to these children were caused." 'Sheer scale of abuse is staggering' Lawyer Jemma Till, from Irwin Mitchell, a legal firm representing some of the parents of the victims, 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." Senior Crown Prosecution Service 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." She added: "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." Detective Sergeant Geoff Boye said officers reviewed more than 300 hours of CCTV footage during the investigation to reveal Lecka's "prolific" offending. It included "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," the officer said. Detective Inspector Sian Hutchings added: "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." Lecka will be sentenced 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.'
