Nursery Worker Who Abused Young Children Was Cleared After Earlier Warning — Three Years Before His Arrest

Serious questions have been raised over how a nursery worker was allowed to return to caring for young children after concerns about his behaviour had already been reported. Vincent Chan was later jailed for 18 years after admitting dozens of sexual offences against children and other victims, exposing troubling gaps in the safeguarding process at the institutions where he worked.

In 2021, a parent raised what were described as “significant concerns” about Chan’s conduct at Bright Horizons nursery on Finchley Road in north-west London. The concerns reportedly included things the parent’s young daughter had been saying about him. The nursery referred the matter to Camden Council, which advised that an investigation should take place.

While the investigation was ongoing, Chan was temporarily moved to duties that did not involve contact with children. However, after the internal inquiry concluded, he was cleared to return to his role caring for young children. The decision has since come under intense scrutiny because Chan went on to commit further offences.

In 2022, Chan filmed himself sexually abusing three-year-old girls at the nursery. His crimes came to wider attention in June 2024, when nursery staff discovered videos he had recorded of distressed children in his care. He was arrested, and police searches of his electronic devices uncovered extensive evidence of sexual offending.

Investigators also discovered offences connected to his previous employment at St Mary’s Church of England primary school in north London, where he had worked as a teaching assistant. Those offences included secretly filming female pupils. Chan ultimately pleaded guilty to 56 sexual offences and was sentenced to 18 years in prison in February 2026.

The revelations have intensified concerns about whether earlier intervention could have prevented some of the abuse. Other parents have also said they raised concerns about Chan’s behaviour before his arrest. They reportedly told the nursery that their children described him as angry, said he shouted at them, or referred to him as a “bad man.” Those parents say their concerns were dismissed.

A central question is why the police were apparently not informed about the 2021 concerns at the time. Safeguarding procedures require concerns about adults working with children to be referred to the appropriate local authority officer, who can recommend police involvement if the circumstances suggest possible criminal conduct. It is understood that the Metropolitan Police did not receive a referral about Chan in 2021 and were informed only later.

Following the discovery of Chan’s crimes, Camden Council reviewed the earlier decision that had allowed him to return to work. That review concluded in November 2025. The council subsequently commissioned an independent child safeguarding review to examine how Chan was able to abuse children at the nursery and how his previous offending at a school had gone undetected or unaddressed.

The review has been delayed several times and is now expected to be published in early 2027. It is anticipated to be critical of the safeguarding culture at Bright Horizons, although the review is not primarily intended to assign individual or organisational blame. The delay has added to the frustration of families seeking clear answers about what went wrong and whether warning signs were missed.

The Bright Horizons nursery on Finchley Road closed in June 2025. The case has prompted wider questions about how childcare providers investigate complaints, how local authorities supervise safeguarding decisions, and what steps should be taken when concerns are raised about someone working with vulnerable children.

For the families affected, Chan’s prison sentence does not resolve every question surrounding the case. They are still waiting for a fuller explanation of how concerns raised years earlier were handled, why he was permitted to return to childcare duties, and whether changes will be made to ensure that similar failures do not happen again.

Source: The Sun