Tuesday, February 10, 2026 - A nursery worker has been found guilty of r@ping and s3xually assaulting five toddlers in his care at a Bristol childcare centre.
Nathan Bennett, 30, carried out the offences against
children aged two and three at Partou King Street nursery in Bristol. He was
convicted at Bristol Crown Court in United Kingdom of eight charges, including
rape, s3xual assault and assault by penetration. He had previously pleaded
guilty to 13 additional offences connected to the same nursery.
The court heard the crimes took place over the course of a
year and involved five young children. Bennett, of Corston, Bath, was arrested
in August last year following a six-month investigation by Avon and Somerset
Police.
Jurors were told that evidence of his behaviour was captured
on CCTV footage from inside the nursery. Concerns had been raised by both
parents and staff about Bennett’s conduct before the investigation was
launched.
Virginia Cornwall, prosecuting, described the case as “every
parent’s nightmare.” She told the court that nursery manager Victoria Tutton
reviewed CCTV footage in February last year which showed Bennett groping a
child and immediately sent him home.
The police inquiry that followed led to Bennett’s arrest and
the eventual closure of the nursery in December
Elizabeth Burton, a fellow nursery worker, told the court
Bennett appeared to have a “jealous attachment” to a group of five children and
would “take control of them.”
“He seemed to have a group of five children that he had a
jealous attachment with. He would take control of them,” she said.
“His behaviour would be over-affectionate, as well as having
them sat on his lap, he would kiss them on the face, like on the cheek or
forehead.”
The court also heard that Bennett frequently wore the same
pair of trousers to work, which colleagues considered inappropriate.
During the trial, jurors were shown video interviews with
two of the children, identified as Child A and Child E. Child E’s mother told
the court her son had demonstrated what had happened to him.
“I got him to stop
doing it. I asked him when did that happen. He said it happened at nursery,”
she said. Temporary Detective Inspector Lucy Ford described the investigation
as “deeply challenging and distressing.”
“Nathan Bennett was trusted to care for children but
committed s3xual offences against the very young children at his place of
work,” she said.
“An investigation involving such young children was deeply
challenging and distressing for all concerned. I would like to pay tribute to
the support and strength shown by those families.”
Law firm Leigh Day, which represents several of the affected
families, said the abuse had left parents seeking answers about safeguarding
procedures at the nursery.
“We are devastated by the horrific abuse children have
suffered at the hands of someone whom we all trusted to care for them,” the
firm 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 families. The children were innocent and completely vulnerable; they
were in a place that should have been safe. We want answers.
“We want to understand how someone like Nathan Bennett was
able to work with young children, what checks were made and how the
safeguarding systems in place at Partou King Street nursery failed so
catastrophically.”
Andrew Lord, a partner at Leigh Day representing a wider
group of families, described the case as “utterly shocking,” adding that the
seriousness of the offences against “very young, defenceless children cannot be
overstated.” Sentencing is expected at a later date.
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