A male nursery worker has admitted sexually abusing children in his care in one of the worst cases of its kind.
Vincent Chan, a British national of Chinese heritage, took advantage of children while they slept, recording pictures and videos of him abusing them during ‘nap time’.
The brazen paedophile took the sick images on a work iPad, which was ordinarily used to send pictures to parents documenting the child’s day at a branch of the Bright Horizons nursery in West Hampstead, north London. The nursery, which commanded fees of around £2,000 a month, has now closed.
Chan, 45, is known to have abused at least four children, all little girls at the nursery, where he began working in 2017. He was stopped when a colleague reported their concerns, and police were called in to investigate.
Detectives later found a stash of around 25,000 indecent images of other children stored on nearly 70 devices.
He admitted 26 counts of assaulting a girl under the age of 13, taking an indecent photograph, and making an indecent photograph at a plea hearing at Wood Green Crown Court today.
Around 20 parents whose children previously went to the nursery were present in court for the hearing, with some of them wiping tears from their eyes as Chan, looking down throughout, pleaded guilty.
He will be sentenced on January 23, His Honour Judge David Aaronberg KC said, telling Chan he will face a jail term ‘of
Nursery worker Vincent Chan, 45, from north London, has admitted absuing and filming children while at work
Detective Superintendent Lewis Basford from the Met Police described Chan as ‘a heinous individual’.
He said: ‘Child sexual abuse is one of the most horrific crimes imaginable, and Chan’s offending spanned years, revealing a calculated and predatory pattern of abuse.
‘He infiltrated environments that should have been safe havens for children, exploiting the trust of families and the wider community to conceal his actions and prey on the most vulnerable.
‘Our investigation remains ongoing, and we are continuing to review digital devices and assess Chan’s conduct across all relevant settings.’
He said the parents and families of around 700 children who were potentially under Chan’s care during his seven-year stint at the nursery have been contacted by police.
The nursery no longer operates at the same premises.
Families affected by Chan’s offending said they were ‘still trying to process the sickening discovery that our children were subjected to despicable abuse’ by Chan, and demanded answers from nursery bosses.
In a statement issued through law firm Leigh Day, they said: ‘In admitting the charges, we are spared the prospect of hearing Vincent Chan’s crimes at Bright Horizons nursery described in graphic detail in a trial.
Alison Millar, from legal firm Leigh Day representing the families, described Chan’s offending outside court as ‘absolutely shocking’
‘We trust the judge to pass the strongest sentence to fit the crimes Vincent Chan has committed against young children, innocent victims who could not fight back.
‘We feel that Bright Horizons has failed us, and we want answers. How was someone like Vincent Chan employed?
‘Why did safeguarding systems fail completely? And how were such horrific crimes against children able to continue for so long without the staff responsible for safeguarding at Bright Horizons nursery acting?
‘We are concerned that failures in management and supervision at Bright Horizons allowed this abuse to go undetected, and we are committed to securing accountability for our children.
‘We would like to thank the Metropolitan Police Service for their assistance and support so far but appreciate that their investigations in this case are not yet complete.’
Alison Millar, head of the abuse team and partner at Leigh Day, added: ‘This is an absolutely shocking case: even as an experienced abuse claims lawyer, it is difficult to hear the descriptions of Chan’s sexual offences against such very young, defenceless children, as well as wider concerns about maltreatment of the children in his care.
‘In addition to the abhorrent sexual offending, there is also a wider group of families affected by Chan’s behaviour.’
She added: ‘The families we are in contact with feel very strongly that there were major failings of safeguarding.’
Chan began working there in 2017, passing an advanced vetting process to become an ‘art specialist’.
He went on to become a nursery nurse and then was promoted to room leader, but asked to be demoted back to nursery nurse.
His duties included feeding, clothing, cleaning and interacting with the children, tasks that required a high degree of trust and safeguarding.
Detective Superintendent Lewis Basford described British national Chan as a ‘heinous individual’
He was first investigated in May 2024 when an anonymous safeguarding complaint was made against him, accusing him of neglect.
He was arrested the following month when police later discovered ‘humiliating’ videos of some of the children, which included them falling asleep while eating, which Chan had overlaid with music for ‘comedic’ purposes.
Chan was suspended from work. It was only a year later, while police were investigating the neglect allegations that they first found evidence of his child sexual abuse.
He was further arrested and remanded in custody ahead of his guilty pleas today.
Commander Hayley Sewart said the case was ‘one of the most significant and disturbing child protection investigations in recent history’.
She said: ‘The inquiry has revealed a pattern of offending that is both extensive and deeply troubling, involving multiple victims, some of whom were extremely vulnerable due to their age.’
She said nursery staff routinely used communal iPads to capture photos and videos for progress monitoring and parental communication.
However, some of the videos Chan shared ‘depicted children in distress or vulnerable situations which were humiliating in nature’.
Four little girls, aged two to four when the offending took place, have been identified as victims of sexual assault.
Chan pleaded guilty to five counts of sexual assault by penetration, four counts of sexual assault by touching, 11 counts of taking an indecent image, and six counts of making an indecent photograph.
The defendant, of Stanhope Avenue in Finchley, has no previous convictions.
Police said nursery staff complied fully with the investigation, and a safeguarding review is underway.
Det Super Basford added: ‘While there will naturally be deep concern among those connected to the nursery and the wider community, we want to be absolutely clear that the group of children who we know to have been victims of Chan’s sexual offending, and their parents or guardians of his victims, have been informed.
‘These conversations were carried out by specially trained local officers professionals who understand the sensitivity and trauma involved.
‘We were very mindful of the significant impact on families whose children attended the nursery and may have had contact with the suspect.
‘For these families, whilst there is no direct evidence of abuse against their children, uncertainty will remain as to whether their child may have been harmed.’
A recent Ofsted report from earlier this year gave the nursery an overall rating of ‘good’ – the second best of four categories.
It recorded safeguarding arrangements as ‘effective’, and added: ‘There is an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts children’s interests first.’
A spokesman for the nursery chain said: ‘We are shocked and appalled by this individual’s horrific crimes. Our thoughts are first and foremost with the children and families affected, and we are committed to offering support to them during this incredibly difficult time.
‘Whilst this individual’s actions came to light after a colleague raised concerns and followed our whistle-blowing procedures to report him, we fully accept that the evidence shows the individual was able to commit these crimes despite our safeguarding measures.
‘In light of this, we have commissioned an external expert in this field to undertake a full review of our safeguarding practices.’
It comes more than 15 years after paedophile nursery worker Vanessa George filmed and distributed videos of herself sexually abusing 30 children at Little Teds in Plymouth, Devon.
She was jailed indefinitely in 2009 and was told she would serve a minimum of seven years but she was released in 2019 despite still refusing to hand over a full list of all the children she sexually abused.