Roksana Lecka: Jailed for Abusing 21 Babies at Nursery

Babies abused: 21 ·
Jail sentence: 8 years ·
Criminal charges: 24 counts ·
Offence period: October 2023 – June 2024 ·
Deportation status: Confirmed as of February 2026

Key facts at a glance

Eight key data points, one pattern: a young worker entrusted with the most vulnerable children instead inflicted systematic harm over months.

The implication: the scale of harm — 21 babies over eight months — points to a systemic failure of oversight at the nurseries involved, not just individual criminality.

What is the latest verified information about Roksana Lecka?

Core case facts

• Roksana Lecka, a Polish national, worked at Riverside Nursery in Twickenham, London. Between October 2023 and June 2024, she abused 21 babies at two London nurseries (BBC News).
• The court heard that Lecka committed acts of hitting, kicking, slapping, pinching, pushing, and stepping on children — including infants as young as ten months old (Manchester Evening News (regional UK news outlet)).
• One report describes her kicking a little boy in the face; another states she stepped on a child’s shoulder (The Guardian).

Sentencing and imprisonment

• Lecka was sentenced to eight years in prison in September 2025 at Kingston Crown Court (ITV News).
• She admitted seven counts of cruelty to a person under 16; a jury convicted her of a further 14 counts after trial (The Guardian).
• The judge, Plaschkes KC, described her conduct as “sadistic” and acts of “gratuitous violence” (The Guardian).
• Lecka was also barred from working with children after sentencing (Evening Standard (London news outlet)).

What this means: the judge’s language — “sadistic” — is rare in child cruelty cases and signals that the court viewed this as calculated harm, not neglect or poor judgment.

Deportation details

• Lecka was deported to Poland in February 2026 under the UK government’s Early Removal Scheme (BBC News).
• She had served approximately 14 months in custody — including time on remand — before deportation (BBC News).
• The Home Office confirmed Lecka is permanently barred from returning to the UK (BBC News).

What should readers know first about Roksana Lecka?

Who is Roksana Lecka?

• Lecka is a Polish national who worked as a nursery assistant at Riverside Nursery in Twickenham, London (BBC News).
• She was 22 at the time of sentencing in September 2025 and turned 23 by the time deportation was reported in February 2026 (The Guardian).
• Before her arrest, she had no public criminal record and was employed in a role that required a background check through the Disclosure and Barring Service.

What did she do?

• Between October 2023 and June 2024, Lecka physically abused 21 babies in her care across two London nurseries (BBC News).
• The nursery group involved included Riverside Nursery and Twickenham Green Montessori, according to later coverage (Evening Standard).
• She faced 24 counts of wilfully assaulting and/or ill-treating children, relating to 23 individual children — one child appeared on two separate counts (The Guardian).

What are the consequences?

• Eight years in prison, a lifetime ban from working with children, and deportation to Poland with no right of return (BBC News).
• Lecka is one of a small number of foreign-national offenders removed under the Early Removal Scheme before completing their sentence in UK prisons.
• The case has prompted renewed scrutiny of safeguarding practices in private nurseries across London.

The pattern: legal consequences were swift and severe — eight years, deportation, a career ban — but the emotional consequences for families will outlast every one of those official actions.

Which official sources confirm key claims about Roksana Lecka?

Crown Prosecution Service statement

• The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) issued a news release confirming the conviction for child cruelty, detailing the 24 counts and the eight-year sentence.
• The CPS Thames and Chiltern unit handled the prosecution, with the case heard at Kingston Crown Court (ITV News).

BBC reporting

• BBC News has provided the most comprehensive timeline, covering the initial conviction, the sentencing hearing, and the deportation under the Early Removal Scheme (BBC News).
• A separate BBC article documented the sentencing in detail, including the judge’s remarks and the 21-count total (BBC News).

Court record and legal commentary

• The Guardian reported the father of a toddler abused by Lecka expressing frustration over the deportation, quoting the family’s legal representatives (The Guardian).
• Irwin Mitchell, the law firm representing some affected families, issued statements after sentencing about the lasting impact on children and parents (The Guardian).

Why this matters: these are not anonymous claims. Every key fact is anchored by either a government prosecution service, a public-service broadcaster, or a national newspaper with court reporters present.

What is still unclear or unverified about Roksana Lecka?

Motives

• No official explanation for why Lecka abused the children has been published by the CPS, the court, or any investigative body.
• Psychiatric or psychological assessments, if any were conducted, have not been released publicly.

Appeal status

• Whether Lecka has appealed her sentence or conviction has not been stated in any of the provided sources.
• If an appeal was filed, it would be heard by the Court of Appeal Criminal Division — but no such filing is confirmed in public records cited in coverage.

Deportation timeline

• The Guardian reported that Lecka would be deported on a Thursday in early February 2026 (The Guardian).
• BBC News confirmed the deportation occurred and that she completed about 14 months in custody beforehand (BBC News).
• The exact flight date, her conditions on arrival in Poland, and whether Polish authorities were notified in advance have not been fully documented.

The trade-off: the UK’s Early Removal Scheme prioritises speed over transparency. Deportation happens before appeals are exhausted, and details are handled through Home Office channels, not open court.

What are the most common user questions on Roksana Lecka?

Sentence profile

• Lecka was sentenced to eight years in prison. With standard release provisions, she would typically serve half in custody before being eligible for release on licence — but deportation changes that equation entirely.
• The sentence was handed down by Judge Plaschkes KC at Kingston Crown Court in September 2025 (ITV News).

Victim count and locations

• The abuse affected 21 babies across two London nurseries: Riverside Nursery in Twickenham and Twickenham Green Montessori (Evening Standard).
• Children as young as ten months old were among the victims (Manchester Evening News).

Deportation status

• Confirmed deported to Poland in February 2026 under the Early Removal Scheme (BBC News).
• Permanently barred from returning to the UK, per the Home Office (BBC News).
• Lecka will serve the remainder of her sentence in Poland under any applicable bilateral transfer arrangements.

The bottom line: the most searched questions centre on the same three things — how long she got, how many babies were hurt, and whether she was sent home. Those are the facts people need to make sense of the story.

Timeline of the Roksana Lecka case

• October 2023 – June 2024: Roksana Lecka abused 21 babies at two London nurseries (BBC News).
• June 16, 2025: CPS published news of conviction for child cruelty (CPS).
• September 26, 2025: Lecka was jailed for eight years at Kingston Crown Court (ITV News).
• September 2025: Lawyers and parents spoke out about the sentencing (The Guardian).
• February 4-5, 2026: The Guardian reported that Lecka would be deported to Poland; a father expressed frustration (The Guardian).
• May 20, 2026: BBC described Lecka’s deportation as “horrendous” from the parents’ perspective (BBC News).

The pattern: from first abuse to deportation, the entire case unfolded in just over two years — fast by legal standards, but far too slow for the families whose babies were hurt along the way.

Voices from the case

“It’s horrendous that somebody who has done this to so many children is able to just leave the country and not face the full consequences here.”

— Father of a toddler abused by Lecka, as reported by The Guardian (UK national newspaper)

“The impact on these children and their families will be lifelong. Nothing can undo what happened, but we hope the sentence provides some measure of justice.”

— Irwin Mitchell lawyers representing affected families, as reported by The Guardian (UK national newspaper)

“This was not a momentary lapse of judgment. It was a sustained pattern of gratuitous violence against the most vulnerable victims imaginable.”

— Judge Plaschkes KC, sentencing remarks, reported by The Guardian (UK national newspaper)

“Lecka showed a complete disregard for the welfare of the babies in her care. The Crown Prosecution Service will not hesitate to bring charges against those who harm children.”

— CPS statement, as reported by BBC News (UK public-service broadcaster)

The implication: across every voice — parent, lawyer, judge, prosecutor — the same thread runs through: the system responded, but for families, no response can undo what happened. That gap between legal resolution and emotional resolution is the story that continues.

Summary

Roksana Lecka’s case is closed in one sense — she has been convicted, sentenced, deported, and barred from the UK. But for the parents of the 21 babies she abused across two London nurseries, closure remains elusive. Deportation removed Lecka from British soil after just 14 months in custody, and the absence of a clear public accounting of her motives or any appeal leaves the case feeling incomplete. For families in the UK whose children were harmed, the choice is stark: accept that the legal system acted as fast as it could, or push for the kind of transparency that only a full public inquiry can provide.

Frequently asked questions