Monza nursery director arrested for abusing children, footage from hidden cameras

How the case came to light

Parents of children at a nursery in Monza filed complaints in the months before the arrest, and the carabinieri opened an investigation coordinated by the Monza public prosecutor's office. Prosecutors authorised environmental wiretaps and audiovisual recordings, which the carabinieri say allowed them to document repeated aggressive conduct by the director in a short time. The recordings showed her pulling, lifting and striking children, according to the carabinieri's press note from the provincial command in Monza.

The incident on 26 October

The most serious episode was recorded in the late afternoon of 26 October. After reprimanding two girls for spilling balls out of the play pool, the director struck one of them in the face with slaps strong enough to knock her backwards. She then dragged the other child by force and threw the balls at the heads of both girls. Other episodes described in the reporting involve pulling, lifting and hitting children until they fell to the floor, but no total number of affected children is given. The carabinieri describe the conduct as aggravated mistreatment of children entrusted to her for supervision and custody.

The arrest and the court decision

On Tuesday, 27 October, carabinieri went to the woman's home in Villasanta, in the Monza and Brianza province, and arrested her in deferred flagrante. The arrest took place at her home rather than at the school, in agreement with the public prosecutor. She was first taken to the San Vittore prison in Milan. After the validation hearing, the preliminary investigations judge (GIP) validated the arrest and ordered an obligation to stay in the municipality where she lives. That measure is a residence restriction, not a custodial sentence.

What the reports do not say

The reports do not say whether the case will proceed to trial or how the woman has responded to the allegations. No statement from her or from a lawyer appears in the coverage. The date of the validation hearing is not given. The charges remain allegations at this stage, resting on the parents' complaints and the recordings described by the carabinieri.