Detective Superintendent Lewis Basford, who led the investigation, said: “The investigation escalated dramatically when officers seized 25 digital devices from Chan’s home, including hard drives, mobile phones, memory cards and a computer terminal.
“Forensic analysis of these devices revealed deeply disturbing material.”
On Sept 5 this year, officers searching Chan’s devices discovered a “substantial cache” of indecent images and videos of children, including evidence of physical sexual attacks against very young children.
In the course of their investigation, police recovered 69 devices used by Chan, including the work iPads.
On the devices they found videos of Chan abusing children at the nursery, on some occasions while they appeared to be asleep.
There were also at least 25,000 images of children, around 2,000 of which were Category A, the most severe child abuse material.
On Sept 8, Chan was rearrested and charged with multiple child sex offences.
He was suspended immediately after his initial arrest. The branch Bright Horizon’s nursery where the abuse took place has since shut down.
At one stage during his employment, Chan was promoted to “room leader” but voluntarily stepped down from the role so he could continue working as a nurse.
Bright Horizons was founded in the United States in 1986 and has over 300 nurseries in the UK.
Detective Superintendent Lewis Basford, who led the Met’s investigation, said “Child sexual abuse is one of the most horrific crimes imaginable, and Chan’s offending spanned years, revealing a calculated and predatory pattern of abuse.
“He infiltrated environments that should have been safe havens for children, exploiting the trust of families and the wider community to conceal his actions and prey on the most vulnerable.
“Our investigation remains ongoing, and we are continuing to review digital devices and assess Chan’s conduct across all relevant settings.
“We recognise the member of staff who raised their concerns, as without that first report of child cruelty Chan’s abuse could have continued unchecked, putting countless more children at risk.”
The families of the children who are known to have been abused directly by Chan are receiving specialist support.
A dedicated NSPCC helpline has also been set up for hundreds of families whose children attended the nursery during the time he worked there.
In a joint statement issued through the law firm Leigh Day, the parents of some of those children said Chan had targeted “innocent victims who could not fight back”
They said “As parents we are still trying to process the sickening discovery that our children were subjected to despicable abuse by Vincent Chan at the nursery.
“In admitting the charges, we are spared the prospect of hearing Vincent Chan’s crimes at the nursery described in graphic detail in a trial.
“We trust the judge to pass the strongest sentence to fit the crimes Vincent Chan has committed against young children, innocent victims who could not fight back.
“We would like to thank the Metropolitan Police Service for their assistance and support so far, but appreciate that their investigations in this case are not yet complete.”
Chan will be sentenced on Jan 23 at Wood Green Crown court.
