Childcare Worker Allegedly Shown Pinching Several Children and Grabbing One Child by the Neck in CCTV Footage During Trial

A childcare worker accused of child cruelty was allegedly caught on CCTV hurting children at her workplace.

Roksana Lecka, 22, who is on trial for allegedly mistreating 23 children under her care at the Riverside Nursery in South London between January and June 2024, appeared in court on Thursday, May 8 as the prosecution argued its case, according to BBC and Sky News.

Prosecutors showed the jury CCTV footage that allegedly showed Lecka pinch a male child’s nose, body, wrist, and mouth, according to Sky News. Lecka’s colleagues checked him for red marks. A teaching assistant also reported seeing Lecka assault a child, per the outlet.

The footage also reportedly showed her grabbing a child by the neck, according to BBC. Staff alleged that several children sustained injuries from Lecka that included “pinch marks,” “red skin” and “raised skin,” per Sky News. 

As the footage was shown in the court, there were audible gasps from parents whose children attended the childcare center in the public gallery, Sky News reported. 

“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,” prosecutor Tracy Ayling told jurors, per the outlet. “All these things are for you to decide.”

Lecka, who was arrested on suspicion of child cruelty on June 5, 2024, admitted to two counts of child cruelty but denied 21 charges of similar offenses, according to Sky News. She denied assaulting the children at the Riverside Nursery in a statement to the court. 

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“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,” she said, per Sky News.

The prosecution also noted in court, per BBC and Sky News, that there weren’t any concerns raised when Lecka was first hired to work at the childcare center, which looks after children between the ages of 10 months and 2 years. 

Her references said she “worked hard and interacted with children.” However, staff noticed strange behavior from Lecka, who was even sent home from work one day after acting “almost as if she was in a daze,” which gave other staff members “grave cause for concern,” per Sky News.

Lecka’s trial is expected to continue next week and is expected to last around five weeks, per the outlet.

If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.