Nursery abuser 'names her victims'

Lawyers representing Vanessa George, 39, who abused toddlers and took more than a hundred indecent pictures, are in talks with police over "the question of victim identification".

The mother of two, who worked at Little Ted's Nursery in Plymouth, Devon, is thought to have named up to 10 youngsters. But parents now face an agonising wait while officers investigate George's claims.

George had refused to name the children in police interviews. Her apparent change of heart came just two weeks before she faces a lengthy prison term. But parents fear the admissions may be a late attempt to win credit and lessen her sentence.

A police spokeswoman said: "As part of ongoing inquiries, detectives from Devon and Cornwall Constabulary are involved in a dialogue with George's defence counsel, and the question of victim identification is part of that.

"We continue to update parents regularly regarding the investigation. Currently, no individual children have been identified and this information confirmed, but we continue to investigate this."

Parents give a mixed reaction to the news, many saying that a partial disclosure would not be satisfactory.

A mother wrote on the Plymouth Herald newspaper website: "I hope the judge doesn't give her a lighter sentence. I hope he locks her up and throws away the key for what she has done." Another mother wrote: "Let's hope the sentence fits the crime and the judge doesn't take pity on her for being a sicko."

George, from Plymouth, will be sentenced at Bristol Crown Court next month after pleading guilty to charges of indecent assault, taking indecent photos and distributing photos of children.

Co-defendants Colin Blanchard, 39, from Rochdale, and Angela Allen, also 39, from Nottingham, have also admitted several sex offences.