By James Simons-
In a case described by prosecutors and the judge as “utterly wicked, perverse and depraved,” a former nursery worker in north London has been sentenced to 18 years in prison for the sexual abuse of young children in his care, with an additional eight years on extended licence once his custodial term ends.
Vincent Chan, 45, of Finchley, north London, was sentenced on 12 February 2026 at Wood Green Crown Court after pleading guilty to 56 offences, including sexual assault by penetration and touching of children under the age of 13, taking and making indecent images of children, voyeurism, and other related charges. His offending stretched over nearly two decades, beginning while he worked in a primary school and continuing through his later employment at a Bright Horizons nursery on Finchley Road in West Hampstead.
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Prosecutors told the court that Chan had secretly filmed himself abusing vulnerable children, some as young as two years old, while they were asleep or in nappies during nursery nap times. Investigators also uncovered more than one million indecent images and videos on his devices, including voyeuristic footage of girls and women in private settings.
In sentencing Chan, Recorder of Haringey Judge John Dodd KC condemned his conduct, saying he had breached the fundamental trust placed in childcare professionals and that his actions represented “every parent’s worst nightmare.”
The offending was uncovered in June 2024 after a colleague at the nursery reported concerns about footage Chan had taken of distressed children. Management alerted the local council, which then informed the police. An investigation by the Metropolitan Police’s Organised Child Sexual Abuse Unit followed, leading to Chan’s arrest and eventual guilty pleas to all charges laid against him.
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Police identified around 20 victims, including young children and adults, and have continued contacting family members as part of the ongoing investigation. Victims’ parents have spoken publicly about the profound impact the abuse has had on their children’s emotional well-being.
Families affected by Chan’s crimes have issued a joint statement through legal representatives, welcoming the sentencing but saying they still seek full clarity on the scope of his offending. They have announced legal action against the nursery operator Bright Horizons, alleging safeguarding failures that allowed Chan to operate undetected for so long.
The NSPCC has also launched a dedicated helpline to support families and professionals dealing with abuse concerns, underscoring the wider issue of safeguarding in early years settings.
This conviction comes amid a troubling pattern of abuse cases involving nursery or childcare workers in the UK.
In September 2025, for example, a nursery worker in west London was sentenced to eight years in prison after being convicted of sadistic physical abuse against 21 babies in her care.
And in late 2025, another nursery employee in Surrey received a 10-year detention order and five years on licence after being found guilty of raping a three-year-old boy in his care, illustrating the range and severity of abuse offences that can occur within settings entrusted with children’s safety.
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