The father of a toddler abused by nursery worker Roksana Lecka has expressed anger that she will be deported to Poland on Thursday, less than five months into an eight-year sentence for child cruelty. Lecka, a Polish national, was convicted in June 2024 of 21 counts of child cruelty at Kingston upon Thames Crown Court. She smacked, punched, pinched and kicked children aged 18 months to two years at two London nurseries in 2023 and 2024.
Sentencing her in September, Judge Plaschkes KC described her actions as “gratuitous violence” and “sadistic”. Despite the lengthy sentence, families were told last week that Lecka would be deported under the government’s early removal scheme for foreign offenders, which does not require her to serve the remainder of her sentence in Poland, meaning she will walk free.
The father told the Guardian that learning of her imminent deportation was “upsetting and frustrating”. He said: “All the work that was done, the public money that was spent, the trauma of sitting through the trial, seeing all the evidence – now all of that seems a bit pointless, because the actual sentence is not being served.” He also voiced concerns that Lecka could harm other children in Poland, noting she was refused bail as a flight risk and risk to the public.
Munira Wilson, Liberal Democrat MP for Twickenham, said she had been contacted by “horrified” families. “Let’s not forget she was convicted of child cruelty to 21 babies,” Wilson said. “The families want justice to be served, but many of them are also concerned that she may go on to harm children in Poland and elsewhere.” She raised the matter in parliament and wrote to the Home Office, learning that time on remand made Lecka eligible for deportation from 7 October 2025, less than a fortnight after sentencing.
Recent changes to the early removal scheme reduced the proportion of a sentence foreign offenders must serve before deportation from 50% to 30%. Further changes due this year will allow deportation immediately after sentencing. Professor Sarah Singer of the University of London said: “These early removal schemes are a really blatant example of the administration prioritising removals over criminal justice.” A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: “These were abysmal crimes, and our thoughts remain with the victims and their families. Roksana Lecka will be given a lifetime ban on returning to the UK following her deportation.”
