Vanessa George: Paedophile nursery worker to be banned from Devon and Cornwall after release

A paedophile nursery worker is to be banned from Devon and Cornwall when she is released from prison.

Vanessa George, 49, was jailed indefinitely in 2009 and told to serve a minimum of seven years after taking photographs on her phone of her abusing toddlers at a nursery in Plymouth.

The mother of two is due to be released from prison soon after the parole board concluded she no longer poses a “significant risk to the public”.

George will be subjected to “strict licence conditions” and an “unusually large exclusion zone”, including not being allowed to return to the West Country.

In an open letter to the people of Plymouth, chief probation officer Sonia Crozier said: “I share the disgust at the crimes committed by Vanessa George and I understand why the prospect of her release is so worrying to so many people, particularly in Plymouth where memories of her abuse are still vivid and frightening.

“The fact she so callously exploited a position of trust to commit these crimes makes them all the more horrifying.

“She will also never be allowed to work with children again and will be on the sex offenders’ register for the rest of her life.

“She is subject to a number of conditions, including not to have unsupervised contact with any children whatsoever.

“If she breaches any of these conditions or if her probation officer thinks there is an increasing chance she might re-offend – she can be immediately recalled to prison.”

Following the decision to release George, a local MP said it was a “kick in the teeth” to the victims and wrote to the justice secretary calling for an “urgent review”.

Luke Pollard, MP for Plymouth Sutton and Devonport, said: “Vanessa George’s crimes against children in Plymouth cannot be forgotten and it’s very hard to forgive her for them.”

“I know I can’t and that’s why her release from jail is a kick in the teeth for our city and all her victims.

During George’s sentencing in 2009, Mr Justice Royce told her she had “plumbed new depths of depravity” by abusing those in her care.

The “shockwaves” of her maltreatment of babies and toddlers would be felt in every one of the country’s nursery schools, the judge added.

Although she named some victims, George – who referred to herself as “paedo whore mum” – was accused of deliberately hiding information that would properly pinpoint those in the pictures she took.

Child protection officers visited 180 children thought to have had contact with George, who admitted taking up to eight pictures a day while on duty.

Staff at the nursery George worked at said they felt “betrayed” by her actions and one said that “a lifetime of childcare had been ruined by Vanessa’s actions”.

In her letter, Ms Crozier said 21 families had taken up the offer of support in the wake of George’s crimes.

She added that affected families will have a dedicated victim liaison officer who will keep them updated about developments in George’s case including when she has been released and whether she is ever recalled to prison.

Ms Crozer said the parole board will “consider sympathetically any further requests for exclusion zones, to prevent any victim from coming into contact inadvertently with George”.

(c) Sky News 2019: Vanessa George: Paedophile nursery worker to be banned from Devon and Cornwall after release