A Montessori nursery worker was caught on CCTV pinching, punching and grabbing babies as she “badly treated” 24 children in her care, a court has heard.
Roksana Lecka, 22, allegedly assaulted or ill-treated 23 of the alleged victims while working at the Riverside Nursery in Twickenham Green, southwest London, between January and June last year.
The nursery, which charged parents up to £1,900 a month to look after children aged between 18 months and two years, follows the Montessori method of teaching, involving allowing youngsters to pursue their natural interests and activities.
The jury heard there were no concerns raised when Lecka applied for a job, with references from another nursery and two families for whom she had babysat.
But prosecutor Tracy Ayling KC said her behaviour on 28 June 2024, when she was sent home from work to rest after being seen acting “almost as if she was in a daze”, caused staff “grave cause for concern”.
One colleague reported seeing her allegedly assaulting a boy by pinching his legs, while CCTV footage then viewed by the headteacher showed Lecka also pinched his nose, body, wrist, and mouth, Kingston Crown Court heard.
The jury was told staff checked for injuries and one child was left with scratches to her face, another with a pinch mark to her chest, one had scratches to her neck, another had red marks on his inner legs, and a girl had raised skin on her stomach.
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Police looked through around a month’s worth of still-existing CCTV footage, finding 23 babies had been “badly treated in some way” on nine days when Lecka was working, the prosecutor said.
Gasps from parents in court
Lecka, who sat in the dock wearing glasses, a black headscarf, and a grey sweater over a white shirt, denies 22 counts of child cruelty, but has admitted two counts of the same offence. All but one of the charges relate to the Riverside Nursery.
There were gasps from parents in the public gallery as some of the footage was played in court on Thursday.
Before playing the footage, Ms Ayling told jurors: “You might see a child cry after they have been on Ms Lecka’s lap. Or they might run away from her.
“You might see from the footage her watching other members of staff as she harms a child, just checking if another member of staff is watching. All these things are for you to decide.”
Clips show at trial
In clips shown in court, Lecka is said to have repeatedly pinched the legs, back and under arm of a girl who can be seen crying and distressed, leaving red marks.
Further footage showed her allegedly pinching the side of a girl’s face, and grabbing her head and hair as Lecka looked at other staff members sitting with children on a mat.
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The prosecutor said Lecka can be seen vaping in another clip before taking a baby from a crib, who she was later filmed pinching and punching her side.
Another alleged victim was sat at a table when Lecka allegedly repeatedly pinched her, causing her to cry, grabbed her by the arm and pulled her hair so her head made contact with the table.
Ms Ayling said Lecka was “looking around at other members of staff and who is watching when these assaults occur”.
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The court heard Lecka was arrested on 5 July last year and said in a prepared statement: “I deny assaulting any children at the Riverside Nursery on 28 June 2024.
“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.”
The trial, which is due to last around five weeks, continues.
