Key Points
- Vincent Chan, 45, from Stanhope Avenue, Finchley, north London, admitted sexually abusing young children at Bright Horizons nursery on Finchley Road, West Hampstead, Camden, during naptime between August 2022 and March 2024.
- In December 2025, Chan pleaded guilty to 26 charges at Wood Green Crown Court, including five counts of sexual assault by penetration, four counts of sexual assault by touching, 11 counts of taking indecent images, and six counts of making indecent images, mostly against female children aged two to four.
- On 30 January 2026, Chan admitted a further 30 charges at Highbury Magistrates’ Court, including 12 counts of taking indecent images of children (with 15 Category A still images depicting the most serious abuse), six counts of outraging public decency, one count of sexual assault on a female, and 11 counts of voyeurism; these relate to 10 girls and six women from incidents between 2007 and 2017 at a school.​
- Chan will be sentenced on 12 February 2026 at Wood Green Crown Court for all 56 offences.​
- Forty-six families (growing from 12 as of December 2025, with over 85 in contact) whose children attended the nursery from 2017 to 2024 are pursuing civil legal action against Bright Horizons Family Solutions Ltd, represented by Leigh Day law firm, claiming breach of contract, neglect, and cruelty due to safeguarding failures.
- Families report Chan shouted at children, encouraged aggression, caused unexplained injuries, filmed children in distress; wider issues include poor staffing, high turnover, inadequate supervision, and dismissed parent concerns.
- Approximately 700 families have been contacted by police; identified victims and others receive specialist support, including NSPCC helpline 0800 028 0828.
- Bright Horizons has declined to comment pending Child Safeguarding Practice Review (CSPR) by Camden Safeguarding Partnership, started after rapid review on 6 November 2025; nursery now closed.
- Chan arrested initially in June 2024 for suspected child cruelty after colleague reported mocking videos on work iPads; re-arrested September 2025 after forensic analysis of 25+ devices uncovered abuse.​
- CPS Prosecutor Helen Reddy called the crimes distressing, noting Chan’s position of trust.​
West Hampstead, Bright Horizons Finchley Road (North London News) February 2, 2026 – Families of children who attended a Bright Horizons nursery in north London have launched legal action against the company after worker Vincent Chan admitted to sexually abusing toddlers and downloading thousands of indecent images. Chan, 45, from Stanhope Avenue, Finchley, filmed himself abusing children during naptime and pleaded guilty to 56 offences in total, with sentencing set for 12 February at Wood Green Crown Court. Forty-six families, represented by Leigh Day, accuse Bright Horizons of dismissing repeated parent concerns and failing in safeguarding, seeking full accountability.​
Who Is Vincent Chan and What Crimes Did He Admit?
Vincent Chan began working at Bright Horizons Finchley Road nursery in 2017, passing all background checks with no prior criminal record, and was promoted to nursery nurse responsible for young children aged two to four. As reported by The Londoner, a colleague flagged concerns in May 2024 after Chan used work iPads to film mocking videos of children falling asleep or in distress, adding graphics and music, and sharing stills with staff.
In June 2024, Chan was arrested for suspected child cruelty; police seized 25 devices from his home and workplace. Forensic examination later revealed evidence of contact sexual offences, leading to re-arrest on 8 September 2025. On 3 December 2025 at Wood Green Crown Court, Chan pleaded guilty to 26 charges: five sexual assaults by penetration, four by touching, 11 taking indecent images, and six making them, primarily against 20 female children at the nursery from August 2022 to March 2024.
On 30 January 2026 at Highbury Magistrates’ Court, as detailed by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), Chan admitted 30 more charges authorised by CPS: seven counts of taking Category A, B, and C indecent images (31 stills, 13 videos, 15 Category A), two more taking counts, six outraging public decency, one sexual assault on 9 July 2011, and 11 voyeurism counts relating to 10 girls and six women from 2007-2017 at a prior school. CPS Specialist Prosecutor Helen Reddy stated:
“I’m very pleased Vincent Chan has admitted to these additional offences and thereby avoided the need for a trial. Crimes against children are particularly distressing and clearly the aggravating feature of his offending was that Chan was in a position of trust. It is hoped that thanks to the excellent work of the CPS and the police, he will receive a lengthy sentence for all his offending and will no longer be a risk to children.”​​
Detective Superintendent Lewis Basford, leading the Met investigation, described Chan’s actions as a “calculated and predatory pattern of abuse,” noting ongoing probes into 69 devices and past roles. Victims were assaulted on nursery premises, often filmed on iPads meant for parent updates; four child victims identified so far.​
Why Are Families Taking Legal Action Against Bright Horizons?
A group of 46 families (up from 12 letter sent 23 December 2025) has put Bright Horizons Family Solutions Ltd on notice of civil claims via Leigh Day, as per their 1 February 2026 press release. They allege breach of contract for safeguarding failures enabling Chan’s crimes, plus neglect and cruelty.
Parents reported to Leigh Day that Chan shouted at children, encouraged fights, and caused excessive unexplained injuries in pre-school, alongside behavioural changes in kids. Broader complaints include inadequate staffing, supervision, safeguarding knowledge, high turnover, poor morale, and inconsistent care; some directly raised Chan concerns, dismissed by nursery.
As stated by the families in Leigh Day’s release:
“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. In our case, Bright Horizons repeatedly dismissed concerns from parents about Chan’s behaviour, and we believe their consistent culture of brushing concerns aside was key to enabling this catastrophe to happen. They will be seeking full accountability for those failures, initially through the civil courts, and are also urging Camden Council to investigate the case for prosecution of Bright Horizons as a corporate entity.”​
Leigh Day partner and abuse team head Alison Millar said:
“This is an absolutely shocking case: even as an experienced abuse claims lawyer, it is difficult to hear the descriptions of Chan’s sexual offences against such very young, defenceless children, as well as wider concerns about maltreatment of the children in his care. The families we are in contact with feel very strongly that there were major failings of safeguarding at Bright Horizons Finchley Road nursery. Families understandably are extremely concerned that a perpetrator was able to work at the nursery for so many years and misuse nursery devices to facilitate his offending. They are concerned about apparent lack of knowledge and understanding of safeguarding by managers and staff and a failure by the nursery to implement effective safeguarding policies, procedures and practices, including digital safeguarding.”
Families of victims, via attorney post-December hearing, said:
“As parents, we are still grappling with the horrifying revelation that our children endured such vile abuse… We believe that Bright Horizons has let us down, and we demand answers. How could someone like Vincent Chan be employed there? How was it possible for such atrocious acts against children to persist for so long without intervention from those responsible for safeguarding at Bright Horizons nursery? We are concerned that failures in management and supervision at Bright Horizons allowed this abuse to go undetected, and we are committed to securing accountability for our children.”
What Is Bright Horizons’ Response to the Allegations?
Bright Horizons, operating over 300 UK nurseries including 92 in London, has been approached for comment but stated it premature while CSPR ongoing. A spokesperson remarked:
“First and foremost, our thoughts are with the affected children and families. What occurred at our former Finchley Road nursery was an egregious violation of trust by one individual and does not reflect the dedication of the thousands of experienced staff who work diligently every day to care for the children.”
Further:
“What happened at our former nursery was an appalling breach of trust by one individual and it is devastating for the families affected. This individual acted alone, and his actions in no way represent the work that our trained and dedicated staff do in looking after thousands of children every day. Whilst this individual’s actions came to light after a colleague raised concerns and followed our whistle-blowing procedures to report him, we fully accept that the evidence shows the individual was able to commit these crimes despite our safeguarding measures. In light of this, we have commissioned an external expert in this field to undertake a full review of our safeguarding practices.”​
They stressed rigorous recruitment, heavy regulation, investments in training, and a learning culture for breaches.​
What Is the Timeline of Events and Investigations?
Chan worked 2017-2024; abuse 2022-2024. May 2024: Colleague reports videos to council/nursery. June 2024: Arrest for cruelty, devices seized; suspended. September 2025: Re-arrest, charged. 3 Dec 2025: 26 guilty pleas. 30 Jan 2026: 30 more. Sentencing 12 Feb 2026.​
Camden Safeguarding Partnership CSPR follows 6 Nov 2025 rapid review; Bright Horizons supports. Met ongoing; 700 families notified, specialist support provided. NSPCC helpline: 0800 028 0828. Leigh Day led by Alison Millar, Catriona Rubens, Kane Jackson.
What Broader Safeguarding Issues Surround Bright Horizons?
The Londoner analysis found 54/92 London Bright Horizons nurseries had Ofsted failures or safeguarding escalations since 2019 (59%), higher than peers like Busy Bees (47%). Examples: North London shutdown 2023 for safety; Fulham assault conviction 2019; Edinburgh £800k fine 2022 toddler death; Chigwell 2019 risk of harm. Ofsted noted poor records, supervision, DBS checks.​
Families question recruitment, supervision, overlooked signs. Met delay in device analysis questioned.
