Nursery Workers Convicted After Shocking Abuse of Vulnerable Children Caught on CCTV

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Two nursery workers in West London have been convicted of child cruelty following the release of disturbing CCTV footage showing them physically assaulting children under their care, some of whom had special needs. The abuse took place at a private day care centre charging £2,000 per month.

The convicted individuals, Anbreen Tariq, 45, and Salima Fajal, 40, were both found guilty at Isleworth Crown Court after admitting to multiple counts of child cruelty. The footage, played in court, showed Fajal violently lifting a three-year-old girl by the arm and slapping her twice. Tariq was seen striking a non-verbal autistic boy on the back of the head with a mobile phone before kicking him while he was on the floor.

Parents of the affected children were devastated. One father, whose son is autistic, said in a victim impact statement, “This has had a deep emotional and mental impact on my family.” He explained that he and his wife were first made aware of the abuse when Fajal visited their office with Tariq, pretending to be a whistleblower. The deception was later uncovered during the investigation.

Another mother described the emotional toll on her two-year-old son, who became clingy and distressed after leaving the nursery. “He did not want to be away from me. He would wake up, cry, and come to me,” she told the court.

Investigators discovered that both Fajal and Tariq had deliberately erased portions of the CCTV footage, raising concerns that more children may have been harmed without evidence to prove it. It also emerged that the two women kept select segments of the footage for blackmail purposes against one another.

Fajal, who had worked in childcare for over 20 years, received a suspended sentence after pleading guilty to two counts of child cruelty. She was also ordered to pay £1,000 in compensation to the family of the girl she assaulted, along with £1,630 in court costs. Tariq, who admitted to three counts of cruelty involving three different children, was sentenced to 12 months in prison.

The presiding judge condemned the women’s actions as calculated and callous. “What is striking is how casual this violence was,” he said. “There was an entirely inappropriate use of force which caused serious distress and pain. These children were innocent and entrusted to your care.”

The case has reignited calls for stricter oversight in early childhood education settings and has left a community shaken by the betrayal of trust.