‘Daycare Worker Caught Vaping Near Infants and Physically Harming Children’

A 22-year-old British daycare worker has been found guilty of abusing 21 infants, including kicking a child in the face and stepping on his shoulder.

Roksana Lecka, from Hounslow, has pleaded guilty to seven counts of cruelty towards children under 16 and has been found guilty of 14 additional charges by a Kingston Crown Court jury, as stated by The Guardian.

The abusive behavior came to light last June when she was sent home from Riverside Nursery in Twickenham due to concerns raised about her behavior, including pinching children and appearing agitated, according to the Crown Prosecution Service.

Metropolitan Police reviewed nursery CCTV, which showed Lecka pinching and scratching children under their clothes.

In other incidents, she kicked a boy in the face repeatedly, pushed infants over cots and covered a crying toddler’s mouth.

Det. Sgt. Geoff Boyle described the footage that was uncovered, showing Lecka committing numerous acts of violence against the children she was supposed to be caring for. These acts included punching and forcefully grabbing children, dropping infants into their cots, and in one instance, kicking a young boy in the face multiple times and stepping on his shoulder.

BBC reports that Lecka admitted to smoking marijuana before her shift started, while CCTV footage also showed her vaping near an infant.

Lecka worked at the nursery from January to June 2024, according to BBC. Within months of her start date, several parents reported unusual bruising and injuries on their children.

Further, another incident reportedly happened at her previous job at the Little Munchkins nursery in Hounslow.

“The sheer scale of her abuse is staggering,” Gemma Burns of the Crown Prosecution Service said in a statement.

“Lecka repeatedly showed exceptional cruelty in her appalling treatment of these babies… the CPS put forth compelling evidence that clearly showed her targeting children when colleagues were either out of the room, or had their backs turned.”

Lecka has been ordered to never work with or around children again. Her sentencing has been scheduled for September 26.

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[Feature Photo: Roksana Lecka/Met Police]