A “calculating and predatory” nursery worker described sexually abusing several young children in his care.
Vincent Chan, 45, admitted assaulting four victims, the youngest of whom was two, and posting tens of thousands of indecent images.
Metropolitan Police detectives said their investigation into his abusive relationship, which spanned several years, was ongoing.
Parents of some victims said they were “still trying to process the sickening discovery” that their children had been abused by their caregivers.
Chan, 45, pleaded guilty to all 26 charges at Wood Green Crown Court on Wednesday.
That included five counts of sexual abuse of a child by touching and four counts of sexual abuse by touching.
He also admitted 11 counts of taking indecent photographs or pseudo-photographs of a child, and 6 counts of making indecent photographs or pseudo-photographs of a child.
About 25 family members were in court for the hearing, many of them distraught. Others listened remotely via video link.
Dressed in a gray tracksuit, Chan spoke only to confirm his name and enter guilty pleas to each charge.
Chan’s insults spanned several years
Chan started working at Bright Horizons Nursery in north London in 2017 but it wasn’t until May 2024 that concerns about his behavior were raised.
Staff were provided with iPads to monitor children’s progress so their parents could see how they were doing in nursery.
An anonymous caller contacted local authorities and claimed that Chan, who had no prior criminal convictions, was using these devices to film the children in his care and make “disturbing” and “offensive” videos for his own entertainment.
He shared stills of non-sexual videos with colleagues.
On June 11, 2024, Chan, who is of Chinese heritage but born and raised in the UK, was arrested on suspicion of child cruelty.
Det Supt Lewis Basford, who led the investigation, said: “The investigation grew dramatically when officers seized 25 digital devices from Chan’s home, including hard drives, mobile phones, memory cards and computer terminals.
“Forensic analysis of these devices revealed deeply disturbing content.”
On September 5 this year, authorities searching Chan’s devices found a “substantial cache” of indecent images and videos of children, including evidence of physical sexual assault against several young children.
At least 25,000 photos of children
During their investigation, the police recovered 69 devices, including an iPad used by Chan.
On the devices they found videos of Chan abusing the children at the nursery, on some occasions they were seen sleeping.
There were also at least 25,000 images of children, about 2,000 of which were Category A, the most serious child abuse material.
On September 8, Chan was arrested again and charged with multiple child sex offenses.
He was suspended soon after his initial arrest. The nursery branch of Bright Horizons where the abuse took place has since closed.
At one stage during her employment, Chan was promoted to “room leader” but voluntarily stepped down from the role so she could continue working as a nurse.
Mr Basford 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 what should have been a safe haven for children, abused the trust of families and the wider community to cover up his actions and preyed on the most vulnerable.
“Our investigation is ongoing, and we continue to review digital devices and assess Chan’s conduct in all relevant settings.
“We recognize the member of staff who raised their concerns, as without the first report of child cruelty Chan’s abuse could have continued unchecked, putting countless children at risk.”
‘We want answers’
The families of the children Chan has known to have directly abused are receiving specialist support.
A dedicated NSPCC helpline has also been set up for the hundreds of families whose children attended the nursery while working there.
Following the petition, law firm Leigh Day, representing the victim’s parents, said: “We feel that Bright Horizons has failed us, and we want answers.
“How was someone like Vincent Chan employed? Why did safety systems fail so completely? And how could such horrific crimes against children continue for so long without staff responsible for safety at Bright Horizons nursery operations?”
“We are concerned that failures in management and supervision at Bright Horizons did not uncover this abuse, and we are committed to securing accountability for our children.”
Alison Miller, head of the abuse team and partner at Leg Day, described the case as “absolutely shocking”.
He added: “Families who have been in contact with us have felt that there have been major failings in safety at Bright Horizons Finchley Road Nursery. We look forward to the findings of the local child safety practice review but there are many questions that need to be answered.”
‘abhorrent abuse’
In a joint statement issued through Leigh Day, parents of some of the affected children said Chan targeted “innocent victims who could not fight back”.
They said: “As parents we are still trying to process the tragic discovery that our children were subjected to abhorrent abuse by Vincent Chan at the nursery.
“In accepting the charges, we spared the prospect of hearing Vincent Chan’s crimes in the nursery described in graphic detail at a trial.
“We trust the judge to impose the harshest sentence to fit the crimes that Vincent Chan committed against young children, innocent victims who could not fight back.
“We would like to thank the Metropolitan Police Service for their support and assistance, but we appreciate that their investigation into this case is not yet complete.”
Chan will be sentenced at Wood Green Crown Court on January 23.
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