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A British childcare worker from London has pleaded guilty to 26 offenses against children, including nine counts of sexual assault. The Metropolitan Police Department has described the investigation as “one of the most harrowing and complex child sexual abuse investigations ever undertaken”.
Police said in a statement on Wednesday that Vincent Chan, a 45-year-old man from north London, was also found guilty of taking indecent images of children. He is due to be sentenced on January 23, according to PA Media.
“The offenses include five counts of sexual assault of a child by penetration and four counts of sexual assault of a child by touching,” police said, adding that Chan also pleaded guilty to 11 counts of taking indecent photographs of a child and six counts of taking indecent photographs.
Some of the images depict the most serious categories of abuse, with one woman in the public gallery crying as the charges were read out, PA reported.
Chan was first arrested in June 2024 after a nursery school worker in London reported that the man was filming disturbing footage of children on a work device.
After seizing 28 digital devices, a forensic team discovered “a large amount of indecent images and videos of children”, leading to Chan, who worked at the nursery for almost seven years, to be formally charged with child sex offenses in September.
As part of this investigation, police recovered and analyzed a total of 69 devices, which revealed that Chan was using an iPad provided at the school to record a video depicting a “crime of sexual contact” against children at the school while he was caring for the children, police said.
Police say he distorted the footage by adding superimposition and music for comedic purposes and shared the still images with colleagues.
Superintendent Lewis Basford, the lead investigator on the case, said Chan’s crimes spanned several years and “revealed a pattern of calculated and predatory abuse”.
“He invaded an environment that was supposed to be a safe haven for children, used the trust of families and the wider community to hide his actions, and preyed on the most vulnerable,” Mr Basford added.
Investigators have now identified four young children as the victims, and specially trained local police officers are visiting their parents or guardians to debrief them.
Law firm Leigh Day, which represents some of the families attending the nursery school at the time, released a statement from the parents. “As parents, we are still coming to terms with the disgusting fact that our children were subjected to despicable abuse at the hands of Vincent Chan,” they said in a statement.
“By admitting the charges, we avoid the possibility of hearing Vincent Chan’s daycare crimes, which were described in graphic detail at trial. We trust the judge to give Vincent Chan the strongest sentence commensurate with the crimes he committed against young children, innocent victims who were unable to fight back,” the statement added.
The nursery school where Chan worked in West Hampstead, north London, has since closed.
“Our thoughts are first and foremost with the children affected and their families and we are fully committed to providing support to them during this incredibly difficult time,” a spokesperson for the nursery, which is a branch of childcare provider Bright Horizons, told PA Media.
“While this individual’s actions came to light after a colleague raised concerns and reported them in accordance with our whistleblower procedures, we fully accept that the evidence shows that this individual was able to carry out these crimes despite our safety measures.”
“With this in mind, we have commissioned an external expert in this field to conduct a complete review of our safety practices.”
