Parents Condemn Deportation of Nursery Worker After 14 Months of 8-Year Term

4 articles · Updated · BBC.com · May 20

Roksana Lecka, 23, was deported to Poland in February after serving 14 months of an eight-year sentence for abusing 21 babies at two west London nurseries, prompting parents to call the move “horrendous”.
The Polish national was removed under the UK’s Early Removal Scheme, introduced in 2024 as prisons neared capacity; parents say applying it to child abusers undermines the sentence, trial and victim impact process.
UK officials have told Polish authorities about Lecka’s convictions, but the BBC reported she is not expected to serve more jail time there, raising parents’ fears she could work with children again.
Less than a week’s notice was given to families before the deportation, and MP Munira Wilson called the communication “outrageous” while pressing for mandatory nursery CCTV and a childcare workers’ register.
The Ministry of Justice said Lecka is banned for life from returning to the UK and defended faster removals, saying more than 5,000 foreign national offenders were deported last year, up 14%.

Is the UK sacrificing justice for child victims to solve its prison overcrowding crisis?

Does deporting criminals early solve prison overcrowding or just export the problem abroad?