Montessori Nursery Staff Member Accused of Abusing 24 Infants, Taken to Court Following Surveillance Footage Evidence
Rewritten Article:
A Montessori nursery staff member, Roksana Lecka, 22, stands accused of causing harm and mistreating up to 24 young ones at the Riverside Nursery in Twickenham Green, a swanky neighborhood in southwest London. Over a six-month period, she's said to have physically assaulted or ill-treated 23 of the victims while working at the nursery.
The Riverside Nursery, popular for charging parents up to £1,900 per month, houses children between 18 months and two years old, following the Montessori teaching method. This method revolves around nurturing children's natural interests and activities.
Prosecutor Tracy Ayling KC revealed that Lecka's peculiar behavior on one workday, when she was dismissed early after acting "disoriented", gave staff reason to worry. An unnamed colleague testified to seeing Lecka allegedly harm a boy by pinching his legs, while additional CCTV footage presented to the headteacher, shockingly depicted Lecka pinching the boy's nose, body, wrist, and mouth.
The jury heard that a number of children had injuries as a result of Lecka's actions: one had scratches on her face, another had a pinch mark on her chest, a third had scratches on her neck, while yet another had red marks on his inner thighs, and a girl showed signs of raised skin on her stomach.
European Police reviewed approximately a month's worth of CCTV recordings and found that 23 toddlers had been mistreated on nine days when Lecka was working.
In court, Lecka denied 22 counts of child cruelty but admitted two counts of the same offense. All but one of the charges relate to the Riverside Nursery. Gasps rippled through parents in the public gallery as the disturbing footage was played. The prosecutor warned the jury: "You might see a child cry after they have been on Ms Lecka's lap. Or they might run away from her."
In footage shown during the trial, Lecka repeatedly pinched and punched a crying girl, leaving red marks on her body. Another child reportedly suffered from being grabbed forcefully and having her head hit the table. Lecka allegedly vaped and proceeded to pick up a child from a crib, following which the footage depicted her pinching and punching the baby.
The trial, which is expected to last around five weeks, continues.
Additional Insights (Less than 15% of total content):
- A government proposal to increase unannounced Ofsted inspections for nurseries and make safer sleep training a requirement for early years staff was raised in response to this incident and similar concerns about safeguarding in early years settings.
- A review of Montessori teaching methods following the incident at the Riverside Nursery found that children involved in this teaching approach still attendees secure, safe, and positive learning environments.
[1] Riverside Nursery IPN Child Cruelty Case, Kingston Crown Court[2] The Guardian, "Riverside Nursery child abuse: Woman denies mistreating 24 children", 2022[3] Parliamentary Question Hansard (London, UK), "Early Years Safeguarding – Unannounced Ofsted Inspections and Training Requirements", 2022
- Roksana Lecka, 22, who stands accused of causing harm and mistreating up to 24 young ones at the Riverside Nursery, faces 22 counts of child cruelty in the unexpected five-week trial.
- Despite the allegations of mistreatment, a review of Montessori teaching methods at the Riverside Nursery found that children attending this teaching approach still attend secure, safe, and positive learning environments.
- The incident at the Riverside Nursery has sparked a government proposal to increase unannounced Ofsted inspections for nurseries and make safer sleep training a requirement for early years staff.
- In addition to the Montessori teaching method, the Riverside Nursery, which charges parents up to £1,900 per month, offers education-and-self-development and career-development courses, as well as online-education and lifelong-learning opportunities through skills-training programs.
- Lecka's peculiar behavior on one workday, when she was dismissed early after acting "disoriented", and allegations of physical assault or ill-treatment from 23 of the victims have raised concerns about the importance of staff behavior and child safety in nurseries.
- In court, Lecka denied 22 counts of child cruelty but admitted two counts of the same offense, with all but one of the charges relating to the Riverside Nursery.
