Families of pedophile victims are taking legal action against a north London nursery where their children were abused, as they allege a “perpetuating culture of brushing aside concerns”.
Vincent Chan, 45, is He is facing jail For abusing girls aged between two and four while working at the now closed Bright Horizons nursery in Finchley Road, West Hampstead.
Initially, 12 families were set to take legal action against the nursery, first detailed in a letter to Bright Horizons in December. Legal firm Lee Day said 46 families are now part of the claim.
In a statement released by the organization on Sunday, the families said: “What happened here is not just about one person or one nursery. We believe Chan’s crimes raise serious questions about how childcare providers recruit, supervise and protect staff, and how warning signs can be ignored for so long.
“In our case, Bright Horizons is repeated Chan dismissed concerns from parents about his behaviorand we believe their consistent culture of putting concerns aside is key to making this disaster happen.”
The firm added: “They will initially seek full accountability for those failings through the civil courts and are also asking Camden Council to investigate the case for the prosecution of Bright Horizons as a corporate body.”
The 46 families include relatives of victims of Chan’s sexual abuse and image-based crimes, as well as relatives of those who were abused by him in other ways, including when he made videos of humiliating or distressed children.
A sex offender admitted 30 new offenses at Highbury Corner Magistrates’ Court on Thursday in relation to 10 girls and six women who did not take place at the nursery. Chan will be sentenced on February 12 for the 56 offenses he committed He admitted the crime.
The families bringing the action said they are “seeking accountability” for allowing Chan to commit his crimes, as well as negligence and cruelty, for breach of contract for Bright Horizons’ defense failures, Lee Day said.
Camden Safeguarding Partnership said it was carrying out a review of local child safeguarding practice at the nursery.
Alison Miller, head of Lee Day’s abuse team, said: “Families are very concerned that an offender has been able to work in a nursery for so many years and misuse nursery equipment to facilitate his crime.”
A Bright Horizon spokesman previously said: “First and foremost, our thoughts are with the children and families affected. What happened at our former Finchley Road nursery was one man’s horrific breach of trust and is not representative of the thousands of experienced and dedicated staff who work tirelessly every day to care for the children in our care.
“The safety and well-being of the children entrusted to our care is our highest priority. We are committed to learning any lessons from this horrific case. We fully support the Child Protection Practice Review (CSPR) and hope it will benefit families, as providers and the early years industry as a whole.
“While the CSPR process is ongoing it would be premature to comment on any matters relating to our pre-nursery. Parents are invited to contribute to this review and we encourage them to participate in obtaining and considering information.”
Between 2017 and 2024 the families of 700 children who attended the nursery were contacted and received specialist support during Chan’s tenure there.
Bright Horizons has been contacted for comment.
