Nursery worker guilty of multiple sexual offences against five toddlers

A nursery worker is facing jail after being found guilty of multiple sexual offences against toddlers in his care.

Nathan Bennett, 30, has been convicted of eight charges, including rape, sexual assault and assault by penetration, relating to five children aged two and three at the Partou King Street nursery in Bristol.

He previously admitted to 13 other charges relating to four of the five victims, who were aged two at the time.

Prosecutor Virginia Cornwall told jurors how concerns were raised by parents and staff about Bennett’s behaviour towards the children in his care in February last year.

On February 26, nursery manager Victoria Tutton found CCTV footage which showed Bennett putting his hands down the trousers of a child and immediately sent him home.

Avon and Somerset Police launched an investigation, leading to Bennett’s arrest and later the closure of the nursery.

Ms Cornwall described the case as ‘every parent’s nightmare’.

Bennett began working at the nursery in July 2024 and told staff he was autistic, though jurors heard he has never been formally diagnosed with the condition.

Staff said he would sit children on his lap for long periods of time, wear a pair of trousers with holes in the crotch area, and seemed ‘territorial’ over certain toddlers and their parents, the court heard.

Nursery practitioner Elizabeth Burton told the court that Bennett had a jealous attachment with five children and would ‘take control of them’.

During the trial, video interviews with two of the children in the case – referred to only as Child A and Child E – were played to the jury.

Child E’s mother also gave evidence, telling how her son had demonstrated how he had been abused at his nursery.

‘I got him to stop doing it. I asked him when that happened. He said it happened at nursery,’ she said.

Bennett said he was ’emulating’ what was done to him as a child and denied having a sexual attraction to children.

The defendant, of Corston, Bath, was found guilty by the jury of:

Families of the children abused by Bennett said they wanted answers to how he was able to commit his crimes.

Law firm Leigh Day, which represents several of the families involved, said: ‘We are devastated by the horrific abuse children have suffered at the hands of someone whom we all trusted to care for them.

‘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 families. The children were innocent and completely vulnerable; they were in a place that should have been safe.’

Partou King Street told Metro: ‘We have been shocked and distressed by the upsetting details that have emerged over the past several days about Nathan Bennett’s appalling crimes, for which he has now been found guilty on all counts and will face justice.

‘Our primary concern from the moment we became aware of the offences has been for the children involved and their families. They have been provided with independent, specialist support, and this support is ongoing. Meanwhile, we have provided every assistance and cooperation to the investigating authorities in the conduct of their important work.

‘We have robust safeguarding policies and practices in place at Partou, which have been followed throughout. In response to the incident, we commissioned an independent review to identify any vulnerabilities, and we have further strengthened our approach to safeguarding all children in our care in line with the recommendations made.

‘We will be engaging with the sector and government to pursue coordinated initiatives to ensure that children in all nursery settings are safe.’

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