Abuse toddlers 'should recover'

Vanessa George will be sentenced at Bristol Crown Court on 13 November

Young toddlers who were abused by a Plymouth nursery worker should grow up "unscarred" by their ordeal, a child expert has said.

Vanessa George has admitted sexually abusing children in her care at Little Ted's Nursery in Plymouth, but has so far refused to identify her victims.

Jane Stacey from the children's charity Barnardo's said the age of the children means they should recover.

George, 39, from Plymouth will be sentenced next month.

Colin Blanchard, 39, from Rochdale and Angela Allen, also 39, from Nottingham, who also pleaded guilty to sex abuse charges, will be sentenced with George at Bristol Crown Court on 13 November.

What the parents need to feel confident of doing is to carry on being the loving parents they are Jane Stacey, Barnardo's

Ms Stacey said the abuse of young children by a woman was particularly hard for parents to deal with.

"Here we have a woman who has abused very young children in her care and that's a shocking thing because many of us rely on women and expect them to care for our children," she told BBC News.

She said the best thing for parents to do was to be consistent and carry on as normally as possible.

"The reality is these children are very young and they have every chance to be able to grow up without being scarred by this experience if they have been abused," she said.

"What the parents need to feel confident of doing is to carry on being the loving parents they are and to carry on with the normal routines.

"If they have any niggles as their children grow up, however small, or any worries about their behaviour they should seek help."