Vanessa George banned from Devon and Cornwall

She will also be subjected to ‘strict licence conditions’ and an ‘unusually large exclusion zone’, the Probation Service has said.

• Big Issue: Vanessa George Abuse Case

Ms George was jailed in 2009 for sexually assaulting young children at Little Ted’s, the Plymouth nursery where she worked, and photographing the abuse. 

In July, Nursery World reported that she was due to be released from prison after a parole board decided she no longer represents a ‘significant risk’ to the public.

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.

‘Vanessa George will not be allowed to return to Devon or Cornwall. The Parole Board has imposed an unusually large exclusion zone which reflects the nature of her crimes, the number of victims and the seriousness with which we’re taking our responsibility to victims and the wider public.

‘Ms George 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.

‘The Parole Board has said that it will consider sympathetically any further requests for exclusion zones, to prevent any victim from coming into contact inadvertently with Ms George.'

The chief parole officer went on to say, ‘One of the most tragic elements of this case is that the police were unable to identify which children were abused. A victim contact service was offered at the time to more than 200 families who may have been affected, and 21 have chosen to take up that support.'