Paedophiles ‘using online message boards for tips on how to get jobs in UK nurseries’

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The parents, whose names we've changed to protect their child's identity, were warned shortly after Chan, 45, was sentenced in February to 18 years for sexually abusing children in his care and creating thousands of indecent images.

Chan, a British national, filmed himself assaulting them during naptime at the Bright Horizons nursery in Finchley Road, West Hampstead. The nursery has since closed.

The Metropolitan Police confirmed to LBC they are aware predators overseas may be using online forums to discuss the abuse of children in the UK, though did not elaborate on the scale. It also says Chan was not present on any online forums.

Jonathan, the child's father, said, “[The officers] had seen chatter between these people about how easy it is to get jobs in UK nurseries, and how it’s an ideal place to hang out and meet new people”- referring to other like-minded paedophiles.

“It’s concerning because a growing number of predators appear to be discussing nurseries as a way to facilitate their criminal activities.”

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Jonathan added, "If a nursery has a job opening for a minimum-wage nursery worker, it's often left unfilled for weeks. They get desperate, and they probably hire whoever looks half-decent.

“This makes it easier to attract certain types of individuals that just want access to children... you’ve created a perfect environment.”

The Disclosure and Barring Service and Bright Horizons said all staff are subject to reference checks before being hired to work with children and receive mandatory safeguarding training.

The parents are now calling for urgent reforms to safety protocols in early years settings across England.

They say the Chan case exposed weaknesses in digital access, prompting calls for wider CCTV coverage, mandatory two-staff supervision, and tighter controls on devices.

Sarah, the child’s mother, said, “In the case of Chan, the nursery iPads were able to connect to the external internet and personal emails.

The nursery worker was in possession of up to 25,000 indecent images of children, many of which were stored on work devices.

“There’s just no visibility right now, and Ofsted cannot currently investigate concerns across an entire nursery chain in the same way it can individual settings... it’s the wild west.”

She added, “You send your child to nursery hoping to God the nursery manager does the right thing and is employing trustworthy people... that’s one hell of a risk.

“If working parents knew what was happening, they would be rioting in the street.”

Ofsted acknowledged the issues raised by parents and said it takes all matters seriously. They reiterated they find the majority of nurseries are safe and will always act immediately where they have concerns that children are at risk of harm.

Bright Horizons is a global provider of early childhood education, day nurseries, and preschools.

The company says it is concerned by the feedback shared by Jonathan and Sarah, but stressed it treats all complaints seriously and encourages concerns to be raised directly with individual nurseries.

It says it understands the points raised by the parents about the use of digital devices and is taking feedback into account to ensure its practices are appropriate for families.

Following Chan’s offence, it commissioned an external review, brought forward internal audits and training, and escalated separate staff concerns to the relevant authorities.

Cases in the UK have previously highlighted similar safeguarding concerns, including those involving Thomas Waller, who was 19 when convicted, and Nathan Bennett, who was 30 at the time of his conviction.

Both were convicted in separate cases of serious sexual offences against young children in nursery settings in Surrey and Bristol respectively.

Although the offenders were British citizens operating within local childcare environments, child safety experts say high-profile convictions of this nature are frequently discussed in offender communities online.

Dr Michael Bourke, a former US federal law enforcement officer who has profiled more than 1,000 sex offenders, told LBC predators in chatrooms will be taking inspiration from prolific British offenders.

“They’re always looking for ideas on how to victimise, hurt, humiliate, sexually assault, and exploit vulnerable persons.

“They’re gathering intelligence on how to prey upon these children. But they’re also examining how he [Chan] was caught to ensure they can avoid making the same mistakes.

“When predators want to feed, they go to a watering hole. They’re looking to places like the UK where there's vulnerable prey and not a lot of protectors.”

Dr Bourke, a forensic psychologist who advised the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) on a number of sexual abuse cases, said Chan has gained notoriety among predators worldwide.

“We often see a ladder of deviance... those who are indulging certain paraphilias or fetishes will gain status. They will try to outdo each other... the more the victim is being harmed, the more excited the viewer would be by that.

“These nurseries in the UK are a perfect opportunity for them... when the opportunity presents itself, they are ready to attack.”

“These are crimes of secrecy. We simply cannot keep up, and the cases known in the UK are undoubtably just the tip of the iceberg.”

Figures from Ofsted show there have been almost 20,000 notifications of serious childcare incidents in England’s nurseries since 2020, including safeguarding concerns and allegations of abuse, some of which involve reports of sexual abuse.

That averages around 75 notifications reported to Ofsted each week – though not all reports are substantiated and do not necessarily indicate proven wrongdoing.

Matt Jukes, Deputy Commissioner of the Met, told LBC there is an "international movement of offenders."

“We are seeing... dangerous men pursue careers that give them access to children. There’s a strong sense Chan was an individual like that.

“We’ve seen a range of reinforcing and validating behaviours online. It is now possible to meet, in the darkest corners of the internet, people who share the most sinister interests... these offenders are connected in ways that simply weren’t possible before.”

Mr. Jukes confirmed the Met is working with international partners to identify predators and implement preventive measures.

The National Crime Agency predicts up to 800,000 adults in the UK pose some degree of sexual risk to children, with the number of sexual offences carried out online over the past year growing by a quarter.

Among those calling for tighter nursery regulation is Tulip Siddiq, MP for Hampstead and Highgate, where the Bright Horizons Finchley Road branch was located.

She told LBC, “The details of this case have horrified me more than anything else I’ve dealt with in 11 years of being an MP.

“To think of people taking inspiration from him, which feels like a word that shouldn’t be used in this ordeal, is horrific.

“There’s no doubt there’s a safeguarding crisis in our nurseries... tragically, many families will never know whether their child was a victim.”

Ms Siddiq is campaigning for the introduction of CCTV in early years settings and has raised the issue in Parliament.

“If you look at the cases where a verdict was found or they managed to rule a nursery was at fault, it’s because there was CCTV available.

“It’s not just about protecting the children who are there, it’s also about predators knowing if there’s CCTV, they’re less likely to work there because they’ll get caught... It’s a no brainer.”

More than sixty families whose children attended the Finchley Road branch of Bright Horizons are taking legal action in response to the Chan case.

In a statement issued by Leigh Day, the legal firm representing them, the families said they believe his crimes raise "serious questions about how childcare providers recruit, supervise and safeguard staff, and how warning signs can be overlooked over long periods of time."

A spokesperson for Bright Horizons said: “Our thoughts remain with the children and families affected... what happened at our former Finchley Road nursery was an appalling breach of trust by one individual, whose actions do not reflect the thousands of dedicated staff who work with children every day. We are committed to learning all lessons from this case and are working with Camden Council and other authorities to support the ongoing Child Safeguarding Practice Review (CSPR), which we hope will benefit families and the wider early years sector.”

The Department for Education says children’s safety is its priority, and that all nursery staff must undergo enhanced criminal record checks and follow strict safeguarding rules, including training, reporting procedures and reference checks. They added the government is also reviewing guidance on digital devices and CCTV use in nurseries.