Parents of babies abused at a Twickenham nursery have voiced serious concerns after learning the worker responsible is due to be deported, with uncertainty over whether she will serve the remainder of her prison sentence.

Roksana Lecka, 23, who was jailed for eight years last September for abusing 21 babies at Riverside Nursery in Twickenham, is expected to be deported to her native Poland on 5 February.

Her crimes came to light last year and the nursery has since closed.

Lecka admitted seven counts of cruelty to a child under the age of 16 and was convicted after a trial of a further 14 counts.

At sentencing, Judge Sarah Plaschkes KC said Lecka had "pinched, slapped, punched, smacked and kicked" children, pulled their ears, hair and toes, and toppled them "headfirst into cots".

However, parents have now been told that following her removal from the UK, Lecka will not be required to serve the rest of her eight-year sentence in Poland.

The issue was raised in Parliament by Twickenham MP Munira Wilson, who told the House of Commons that parents had been given less than a week's notice of the deportation and were deeply distressed by the lack of information about what will happen next.

She said: "The parents of the 21 babies abused by Roksana Lecka at Riverside Nursery in Twickenham were given less than a week's notice that she would be deported to Poland.

"They fear, if left unsupervised, she will harm many more children."

Wilson called for greater transparency and clarity over Lecka's release terms, adding that families want reassurance that safeguarding measures will be in place.

In a letter to Wilson, border security minister Alex Norris confirmed that Lecka would not be required to complete her sentence in Poland, but said Polish authorities had been informed of her convictions.

He wrote: "Whilst Lecka is not required to serve the remainder of her sentence in Poland, we have made Polish law enforcement aware of her convictions so that appropriate safeguarding actions can be taken by the Polish authorities."

One parent, speaking to BBC London, said families were "shocked, angry and frustrated" by the news.

"The expectation obviously was that that sentence would be served. And it now appears it's not going to be," they said.

"In this case, the punishment hasn't been served. It's unclear if there's been any rehabilitation. And in terms of a deterrent, if foreign nationals know they won't even have to serve that sentence, I don't think that deterrent is there."

Victims minister Alex Davies-Jones told MPs her "thoughts and sympathies" were with the victims and their families, adding that the case would be discussed further between the Ministry of Justice and the Home Office.

A Ministry of Justice spokesperson confirmed that Lecka will be given a lifetime ban on returning to the UK following her deportation.

Lecka, who lived in Hounslow, worked at Riverside Nursery between January and June 2024. Her abuse was uncovered after she was sent home for pinching children, prompting a wider investigation that revealed the full extent of her actions.

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