George 'may never reveal victims'

Vanessa George was told by a judge to reveal her victims

A Plymouth nursery worker who sexually abused children in her care might never reveal who she attacked, criminal psychologists have told the BBC.

Vanessa George, 39, admitted 13 child sex abuse charges, including taking and distributing pictures of children.

A judge, her husband and parents have pleaded for her to name those harmed from Little Ted's Nursery in Plymouth.

Psychologists said she could well be in denial, could prove hard to treat and might never reveal who she abused.

Police said they believed that an estimated 30 babies and toddlers were victims but that the children might never be identified from the images alone.

Psychologists believe it's most likely she's in denial Simon Hall, BBC correspondent

Detectives said they were planning to visit George in prison to ask again if she would reveal who she attacked.

But police said that during their previous questionings, she had been very controlled in what she said.

The officer in charge of the case, Det Supt Michele Slevin, said: "Certainly when she's been within our custody, and we've dealt with her through the interviews, she's remained very calm and very controlled in her answers to the questions that have been asked. In some ways, slightly unemotional."

BBC South West Home Affairs Correspondent Simon Hall said that psychologists had two theories as to why she had not revealed who she had abused.

He said: "The first is denial: she may have constructed a fantasy world and believes it's a conspiracy and that everybody's against her.

"The second theory is that it's something that she thinks gives her power.

"She has a hold over the victims and their families and detectives have to keep coming back to her.

"But, given a lack of emotion that police said she showed when they interviewed her, psychologists believe it's most likely she's in denial."

George worked at the Little Ted's nursery in the Efford area of Plymouth for three years.

She exchanged thousands of text and e-mail images of abuse recorded on mobile phones with two other people: Angela Allen, from Nottingham, and Colin Blanchard, from Rochdale, who she met on social networking site Facebook.

All three are due to be sentenced at Bristol Crown Court in November.