A former nursery worker has been jailed for 18 years after an investigation uncovered more than one million indecent images and evidence of widespread offending spanning nearly two decades. Vincent Chan, 45, of Stanhope Avenue, Finchley, was jailed at Wood Green Crown Court on Thursday, 12 February.

He has also been made subject to an application for a Sexual Harm Prevention Order, meaning he will face strict monitoring when he is eventually released.

Judge John Dodd KC told Vincent Chan: "Every right-thinking person hearing about your offences would feel revulsion and disbelief.

"Your conduct was utterly wicked, perverse and depraved. You became a sexual predator and someone who had lost all sense of moral compass.

"For every parent and guardian, their children are the most important part of their lives. They are priceless."

He said that when parents had entrusted their children to the care of others, Chan had breached their trust "in the most despicable of ways".

"Whilst at the nursery, you had the opportunity to carry out actual sexual abuse on victims too young and helpless to stop you.

"Too young to alert anyone as to what you were doing, they were defenceless."

Detective Superintendent Lewis Basford, the Senior Investigating Officer, said: “Chan’s crimes are horrific, but we will not let his name overshadow today. Our foremost responsibility throughout has been to the victims – carrying out a meticulous investigation that established the extent of the offending and ensured Chan was held to account.

“I want to thank every victim and family who engaged with us during this traumatic process. Their trust enabled us to secure further charges and today’s significant sentence.

“I am also grateful to the community, our investigation team and the CPS for the valuable roles they played.

“To all those affected – our commitment to you does not end today. We remain by your side, and we will continue to ensure you receive the long-term support you need.”

In a victim impact statement, a representative of the families whose children attended the nursery where Chan committed many of his offences, said: “The impact of Vincent Chan’s actions upon our entire community has been profound. The knowledge that he was not only capable of such acts but committed them against children within the nursery has created a permanent ache in our hearts.

“The lasting trauma of ‘what if’ is powerfully felt throughout our community because of Vincent Chan’s actions. It offers no closure, no reassurance, no healing and no point at which anxiety can safely end or be meaningfully processed.
“The fear we feel about the cruel violation of our children will never dissipate. Ordinary memories from early childhood are now tainted with doubt, anxiety and guilt.”