Two nursery workers who subjected vulnerable children to horrific physical abuse at a West London daycare centre have been jailed following guilty pleas to multiple child cruelty charges at Isleworth Crown Court. The shocking abuse, which targeted children with special educational needs, was captured on CCTV footage that prosecutors described as “deeply distressing to watch.”
Anbreen Tariq, 45, and Salima Fajal, 40, carried out systematic attacks on three children aged between two and three years old at the £2,000-per-month nursery between March and July 2021. The abuse came to light when parents discovered unexplained injuries on their children, prompting a police investigation that uncovered damning video evidence.
The court heard harrowing details of how Fajal, a mother-of-four with over 20 years’ experience in childcare, was caught on camera grabbing a three-year-old girl by her arm, lifting her into the air and slapping her twice. The abuse was discovered after Fajal contacted the child’s parents claiming their daughter had suffered a nosebleed.
Parents Discover Horrifying Extent of Injuries
When the parents arrived at the nursery to collect their daughter, they found far more than a simple nosebleed. The three-year-old had sustained a bruised eye and visible redness to her cheeks and nose, injuries that could not be explained by Fajal’s account.
The way my wife and I found out was not ideal,” one father told the court in a victim impact statement. “The first we knew was when Fajal came into our office with someone pretending to be a whistleblower, who we know now is Tariq.”
Metropolitan Police officers launched an immediate investigation, trawling through hours of CCTV footage from the nursery. What they discovered revealed a pattern of casual violence against some of the nursery’s most vulnerable children.
Non-Verbal Autistic Child Among Victims
Perhaps most disturbing was footage showing Tariq striking a non-verbal autistic three-year-old boy on the back of the head with a mobile phone before kicking him in the back as he lay crying on the floor. The child’s father described the profound impact on his family.
“My wife burst into tears when she saw the video,” he stated. “This has created a mistrust in institutions who are supposed to be looking after our child. My son could not tell us what was happening because he is autistic.”
The CCTV evidence also captured Tariq aggressively holding down a two-year-old boy, whose mother told the court she was left “absolutely distraught” when she discovered what had happened to her son.
Evidence Destroyed as Workers Turn on Each Other
In a shocking twist, the court heard that both workers had attempted to delete portions of the CCTV footage, potentially concealing abuse of dozens more children. When the abuse came to light, Fajal and Tariq turned against each other, with each keeping segments of video footage to use as “blackmail” against the other.
What is striking is how casual this violence was,” the judge observed during sentencing. The victim impact statements make for very sobering reading and speak to the profound effect relating to the abuse which the children suffered at the nursery.
Long-Term Trauma for Young Victims
The mother of the two-year-old victim revealed the lasting psychological impact on her son, telling the court: “For about six months after my son left the nursery, he did not want to be away from me. He would wake up, cry, and come to me.”
Family members present in court gasped audibly as prosecutors played the CCTV footage showing the attacks. The evidence painted a picture of routine violence against children who were unable to speak up about their treatment.
Attempted Cover-Up Revealed
During police interviews, Fajal claimed she had only slapped the three-year-old girl because the child was “choking” – an explanation prosecutors dismissed as a desperate attempt to justify the unjustifiable. The CCTV footage showed no evidence to support this claim.
“There was an entirely inappropriate use of force which would have undoubtedly caused these children serious distress, pain and discomfort,” the judge stated. “This was cruelty which you both casually subjected young and entirely innocent children to, who were trusted to be in your care.”
Prison Sentences and Financial Penalties
Tariq, who admitted three counts of child cruelty relating to three different children, was sentenced to 12 months’ imprisonment. Fajal, who pleaded guilty to two counts of child cruelty relating to two children, received a suspended sentence.
The court also imposed financial penalties, ordering Fajal to pay £1,000 in compensation to the three-year-old girl’s family, plus £1,630 in court costs. Both women have been barred from working with children.
Questions Remain About Wider Abuse
The deletion of CCTV footage has raised serious concerns about the potential scale of abuse at the nursery. With portions of video evidence destroyed, investigators cannot determine how many other children may have been victims of assault during the four-month period.
The case has prompted calls for stricter oversight of nursery CCTV systems and better safeguarding procedures to protect vulnerable children in daycare settings. Child protection experts have emphasised the importance of regular monitoring and immediate investigation of any unexplained injuries.
Industry-Wide Implications
The shocking case adds to growing concerns about child safety in nursery settings across the UK. Recent years have seen several high-profile cases of nursery workers abusing children in their care, prompting demands for enhanced vetting procedures and continuous professional development in child protection.
Child safeguarding organisations have stressed that while such cases remain rare, they highlight the critical importance of robust recruitment practices, ongoing supervision, and creating environments where staff feel able to report concerns about colleagues’ behaviour.
Parents considering nursery care are advised to look for settings with transparent policies on CCTV use, clear safeguarding procedures, and open communication channels between staff and families. Regular unannounced visits and maintaining close relationships with key workers can also help parents identify any concerns early.
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