A nursery worker who subjected five toddlers to horrific sexual abuse has been sentenced to 30 years in prison, with a judge describing him as an “evil” and “dangerous paedophile” who betrayed the trust of parents and children alike.
Nathan Bennett, 30, from Corston near Bath, was convicted in February of multiple counts of sexual abuse against five boys aged just two and three years old at Partou King Street Nursery in Bristol. His crimes included two counts of rape.
The offences, which came to light in early 2025, have devastated families and prompted an ongoing police investigation into whether more victims may exist.
CCTV uncovered abuse
Bennett began working at the nursery in July 2024. By February 2025, staff had raised concerns about his behaviour with certain children—specifically a group of five boys whom the prosecution said he would “favour.”
The alarm was raised when nursery management reviewed CCTV footage showing Bennett putting his hands down a boy’s trousers. He was immediately suspended, and Avon and Somerset Police were alerted the following day.
Detective Inspector Lucy Forde described reviewing the nursery’s CCTV footage as “absolutely sickening.”
“It is him offending against children in the middle of the nursery in sight of other children. There is nothing that could prepare you for seeing that,” she said.
Officers spent “hundreds of hours” examining footage from the nursery’s 18 cameras to identify Bennett’s offending patterns and the children affected. However, the investigation was hampered because footage was only retained for one month before being overwritten.
Through the CCTV evidence, investigators identified four victims. A fifth child came forward after confiding in their parents about what had happened.
‘Vile desires’ and betrayed innocence
Sentencing Bennett at Bristol Crown Court, His Honour Judge William Hart did not mince words.
“You are an evil individual,” the judge told Bennett. “You were lurking, ready to abuse children and pollute their innocence with your own vile desires.”
The judge described Bennett as an “incorrigible and dangerous paedophile” and ordered that he serve at least two-thirds of his 30-year sentence before being eligible for parole.
Bennett had previously admitted 13 other sexual offence charges relating to four of the boys.
Families shattered
In court, the victims’ parents delivered harrowing statements through prosecuting barrister Virginia Cornwall, revealing the profound impact of the abuse on their families.
The mother of Child E described her son as a “hilarious, cheeky, happy little boy” whose trust had been “manipulated and ultimately destroyed.”
“What will our son remember as he grows and as he understands the impact of the abuse? We will not truly know the impact of Nathan’s actions for many years,” she said.
The father of Child B said he felt “dead inside” after learning what had happened to his son, while the boy’s mother said she had “screamed and cried.” The family revealed the trauma had led to a job loss, and they were in “desperate need of therapy” they could not afford.
Parents of Child C, who described their son as a “sunny child,” said they had initially liked Bennett, who “seemed clumsy but very paternal.” They later realised their son had become “obsessed” with Bennett as he was groomed, becoming “a different person.”
“Since we found out that our son was involved, our emotions have changed,” they said. “We were distraught at the start and now we are angry.”
Concerns over unidentified victims
The nursery was closed by Ofsted in December 2025 following the investigation.
Detective Inspector Forde expressed ongoing concern that there may be more victims who have not yet come forward.
“My worry is there will be other victims that we haven’t been able to identify, that are too young to understand what’s happened to them,” she said.
Avon and Somerset Police have established a public portal for parents whose children attended the nursery to report any concerns and speak with specially trained officers from the child protection team.
Bennett will serve his sentence at His Majesty’s pleasure, with the judge’s remarks ensuring he will spend decades behind bars for what the court heard was “every parent’s nightmare.”
