Nursery worker who attacked 21 babies by pinching & kicking them is freed from jail early and deported
The 'sadistic' nursery worker punched, kicked and pinched babies in a series of gratuitous attacks which landed her in jail
A nursery worker who was jailed after attacking babies has been released early and deported, in a move which has been slammed by parents of the abused children.
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Roksana Lecka scratched and pinched babies while working at the Riverside Nursery in Twickenham, South West London, leaving them with marks.
She kicked one boy in the face four times and was said to have “badly harmed” others over the course of six months while working at the nursery.
Last September, the 22-year-old was jailed for eight years and deported back to her home country of Poland in February. After just 14 months, Lecka was freed as part of an Early Release Scheme and now may face no further punishment when she returns home.
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It has also been understood that there is a chance she may work with children again despite her crimes.
The Riverside Nursery charges families up to £1,900 a month to care for children up to 2 years old. Kingston Crown Court previously heard that Lecka had no apparent safeguarding issues when she was hired.
In footage shown in court, Lecka could be seen pinching the legs, back and underarm of a girl who can be seen crying.
In further footage, she can be seen pinching the side of a girl’s face and grabbing her hair. In another clip, Lecka can be seen vaping before taking a baby from a crib, pinching and punching her side.
One of the victims was sitting at a table when Lecka repeatedly pinched her, reportedly causing the girl to cry. She then seized the girl by the arm and pulled her hair so her head hit the table.
The court heard how Lecka was “looking around” to keep an eye on whether other members of staff were “watching when these assaults occur”.
One member of staff reported witnessing Lecka pinching a boy’s legs, which led the headteacher to check CCTV.
After searching through a month’s worth of CCTV footage, police found the babies had been “badly treated in some way”.
They seized a pair of trainers that Lecka had used to kick a baby four times in the face and step on his shoulder.
The nursery worker attempted to blame her behaviour on smoking cannabis, saying that she became “agitated” if she could not vape. She also claimed to be “addicted” to her boyfriend and was “over-prioritising” him.
Prosecutor Tracy Ayling KC told jurors that these were “excuses” for the offences.
Lecka was hit with an eight-year sentence for the “multiple acts of gratuitous violence” in September 2025.
During sentencing, Judge Sarah Plaschkes KC told her: “You pinched, slapped, punched, smacked and kicked them. You pulled their ears, hair and their toes. You toppled children headfirst into cots. You caused bruising and lingering red marks.
“When you committed these acts of cruelty, you would look at the other members of staff to make sure that they were not watching you.
“Often the child would be quietly and happily minding its own business before you deliberately inflicted pain, causing the child to cry, arch, try to get away or writhe around in distress.
“Time after time, you calmly watched the pain and suffering you have caused. Your criminal conduct can properly be characterised as sadistic.”