Families Launch Legal Action Against Nursery After Paedophile Worker's Crimes
Families whose children were abused by a paedophile nursery worker have initiated legal proceedings against the childcare provider, alleging that their repeated concerns were consistently brushed aside. The case centres on Vincent Chan, a 45-year-old employee at the Bright Horizons nursery on Finchley Road in West Hampstead, north London, who is now facing years in prison for molesting young girls.
Details of the Abuse and Legal Claims
Chan filmed himself carrying out the abuse during naptime at the nursery, targeting girls aged three and four. He has also confessed to downloading thousands of indecent images of children. Initially, 12 families planned to take legal action, as outlined in a letter to Bright Horizons in December. By last Friday, the number had surged to 46 families, according to the law firm Leigh Day, which is representing them.
The legal firm stated: What has happened here is not just about one individual or one nursery. We believe Chan's crimes raise serious questions about how childcare providers recruit, supervise and safeguard staff, and how warning signs can be overlooked over long periods of time.
Allegations of Systemic Failures
Leigh Day added that Bright Horizons repeatedly dismissed parental concerns about Chan's behaviour, suggesting a consistent culture of brushing concerns aside that enabled the catastrophe. The families are seeking full accountability through civil courts and are urging Camden Council to investigate prosecuting Bright Horizons as a corporate entity.
Alison Millar, head of Leigh Day's abuse team, emphasised: This case has to be treated with the utmost seriousness by state institutions to ensure that similar offending can never be allowed to happen again.
Scope of the Offences and Support Efforts
The 46 families include relatives of victims of Chan's sexual abuse and image-based offences, as well as those whose children were mistreated in other ways, such as being filmed in humiliating or distressing situations. Chan recently admitted 30 new offences at Highbury Corner Magistrates' Court, involving 10 girls and six women unrelated to the nursery, bringing his total guilty pleas to 56 offences. He is scheduled for sentencing on February 12.
Families of 700 children who attended the nursery between 2017 and 2024, during Chan's employment, have been contacted and are receiving specialist support. The Camden Safeguarding Partnership is conducting a local child safeguarding practice review into the nursery.
The legal claims focus on breach of contract due to safeguarding failures, neglect, and cruelty, with families determined to hold the nursery accountable and prevent future harm.
