Nursery Worker Charged With Sexual Assault

A 39-year-old nursery worker has been charged with seven offences, including sexual assault and distribution of indecent images of children.

Vanessa George was arrested on Monday after police raided her home in Efford, Plymouth and the city's Little Teds nursery, following a tip-off.

The mother-of-two has now been charged with four counts of sexual abuse and three counts of making, possessing and distributing indecent images of children.

Devon and Cornwall Police have not said if the images are alleged to have been taken in the nursery, but they are trying to identify the children from the images.

Little Teds, which caters for around 60 children, has been closed as part of the investigation.

A 38-year-old man, from Littlebrough, near Rochdale, has been charged in connection with the investigation. He appeared at Trafford Magistrates' Court on Tuesday charged with possessing and distributing indecent images.

Devon and Cornwall Police said computer equipment, including a disc containing images of a "serious nature", were among the items seized during the operation.

Chief Superintendent Jim Webster, head of Plymouth police, added: "Of course, it is a concern to all of us that she worked in a nursery.

"Our work today is to find out what has happened, where the images have come from, where they have been sent to, and any risk to anybody in Plymouth.

"It is extremely difficult to identify exactly who is in the images at this stage."

Little Teds, which operates from Laira Green Primary School and Laira United Church Hall, has two units.

Children in the nursery are aged between two and five, but youngsters up to the age of 11 can attend breakfast and after-school clubs.

Police have confirmed both units are currently closed.

The force also confirmed the investigation was focused on the church site which looks after the youngest group of babies and toddlers.

(JM/NS)