A nursery worker has been convicted of mistreating 21 children in her care after she was caught on CCTV pinching, punching, and kicking her victims.

Prosecutors described the abuse as 'staggering' and highlighted Roksana Lecka's 'exceptional cruelty' towards children at the Riverside Nursery in Twickenham, southwest London.

The nursery, which followed the Montessori teaching method, charged parents up to £1,900 a month to care for children aged between 18 months and two years.

Lecka, 22, admitted seven charges of child cruelty and was found guilty of 14 additional counts after a trial at Kingston Crown Court. She was acquitted of three charges, with one conviction related to a child at another nursery where she worked in 2023.

Parents in the public gallery gasped as CCTV footage showed children being mistreated, including being pinched, scratched, and kicked by Lecka. Some children were attacked multiple times in a day.

In one clip, she was seen kicking a child on the floor, while other footage showed her pushing children headfirst over cots and aggressively covering a toddler's mouth as he cried.

Lecka, who admitted to being addicted to vapes and smoking cannabis, denied assaulting any children at the nursery. She was arrested at her home in Hounslow, west London, and answered 'no comment' to questions from detectives.

Jemma Till from Irwin Mitchell, a legal firm representing some of the parents, expressed shock and trauma on behalf of the families. She emphasized the need for lessons to be learned and measures to be introduced to prevent similar incidents in the future.

Senior Crown Prosecution Service prosecutor Gemma Burns condemned Lecka's actions, stating that no parent should have to fear leaving their child in the care of professionals. The detective sergeant and detective inspector involved in the case highlighted the disturbing nature of the footage and the impact on the families.

Lecka is set to be sentenced on 26 September.