A group of families has initiated legal proceedings against the company that operated a London nursery where convicted paedophile Vincent Chan sexually abused young children. The 45-year-old former nursery worker pleaded guilty last year to assaulting girls aged three and four while employed at a Bright Horizons branch in north London, which has subsequently closed its doors.
Extent of the Offences
Chan admitted to a total of 26 sexual offences committed at the nursery, including five counts of sexual assault of a child by penetration, four counts of sexual assault of a child by touching, and multiple charges related to indecent photographs of children. Disturbingly, he filmed himself carrying out these abusive acts during the children's scheduled naptime periods.
Legal Action Against Bright Horizons
The law firm Leigh Day is representing families affected by these serious allegations of abuse, bringing a claim against Bright Horizons Family Solutions Ltd. According to the firm, 46 families have joined the legal claim against the company, which operates more than 300 nurseries across the country.
In December, Bright Horizons issued a statement expressing that they were "shocked and appalled" by Chan's crimes and had commissioned an expert review of their safeguarding practices in response to the revelations.
Additional Offences Revealed
During a recent court hearing, Chan admitted to a further 30 offences that did not occur at the nursery premises. These additional charges include sexual assault of a female, multiple counts of taking and making indecent photographs of children, outraging public decency, and voyeurism offences spanning from 2011 to 2023.
Police investigations revealed that Chan had worked at a school in north London between 2007 and 2017 before joining the Bright Horizons nursery. Evidence recovered included images showing him exposing himself in a classroom in 2017 and videos depicting solo sex acts in educational settings.
Discovery and Investigation Timeline
The initial discovery of Chan's predatory behaviour occurred when a Bright Horizons staff member reported that he had filmed a child falling asleep in their food using a nursery-issued device. He had set this footage to music for what he described as "comedic purposes" before sharing it with colleagues.
This report led to Chan's arrest in June 2024 on suspicion of neglect, with officers seizing 25 digital devices from his home and three from the nursery. Although released on bail, he lost his position at the nursery immediately following the arrest.
Three months later, police submitted his devices for forensic analysis, which was completed in July 2025. The examination revealed substantial quantities of indecent images and videos of children, including evidence of contact sexual offences against minors.
Sentencing and Ongoing Impact
Vincent Chan is scheduled to be sentenced on 12 February for all 56 offences to which he has pleaded guilty. The case has raised serious questions about safeguarding procedures within childcare facilities and the responsibility of large nursery chains to protect vulnerable children in their care.
The legal action brought by the affected families represents a significant challenge to Bright Horizons, testing the company's duty of care and the adequacy of their child protection measures across their extensive network of nurseries.
