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A nursery worker has been sentenced to 24 years in prison for the rape and abuse of young children in his care.
Nathan Bennett, 30, was convicted of two counts of rape, four counts of sexual assault, and two counts of assault by penetration. The crimes involved five boys, aged between two and three, at the Partou King Street Nursery in Bristol.
Bennett had previously pleaded guilty to 13 additional sexual offence charges relating to four of the victims.
He was hired by the nursery in 2024 and was arrested less than a year later after CCTV footage captured him placing his hands inside a child’s trousers.
Prosecutor Virginia Cornwall told the court that Bennett’s actions were “every parent’s worst nightmare.” She stated: “That a person entrusted to be responsible for your child, to care for and nurture your child at times when you are unable to provide that parental care, abuses their position and sexually abuses that child, is unthinkable.”
Staff at the nursery, which closed last year, testified that Bennett would sit children on his lap for extended periods. The court was also told he acted “territorial” over certain toddlers and was known to wear trousers with a hole in the crotch area.
During the trial, video interviews with two of the victims—referred to as Child A and Child E—were played for the jury. The mother of Child E told the court that her son had disclosed the abuse to her, stating: “I asked him when that happened. He said it happened at nursery.”
In his sentencing remarks today, Judge Hart described Bennett as “evil” and an “incorrigible and dangerous paedophile.”
While Bennett claimed he was “emulating” how he had been treated as a child and denied having a sexual attraction to children, Judge Hart dismissed these assertions. The judge stated that Bennett “prioritised sexual satisfaction over the well-being of children,” noting that the defendant appeared to rock back and forth during the proceedings.
“Because sexual interest in such very young children is thankfully very uncommon, I find it impossible to predict how long you will remain such a danger,” the judge said. “Even if some of the children have no memory of what happened, the parents will never forget. The victim impact statements speak of their torment and how their lives have been contaminated by what you did.”
Families of children who attended the nursery but were not victims of abuse expressed their devastation regarding the case.
Leigh Day, the law firm representing the parents and guardians, said in a statement: “Nothing can begin to explain the shock, anger, and heartbreak we feel—or the profound and lasting impact we are sure this will have on these families. The children were innocent and completely vulnerable; they were in a place that should have been safe.”
