A nursery worker from Corston near Bath has been convicted of 21 sexual offences against five toddlers – with their devastated families today demanding answers about how he was able to work with young children.
Nathan Bennett | Photo © Avon & Somerset Police
Following a week-long trial at Bristol Crown Court, Nathan Bennett, who worked at the Partou King Street nursery in Bristol, was found guilty by a jury today, Monday 9th February, of two counts of sexual assault by penetration, two counts of the rape of a child under 13, and four counts of sexual assault of a child under 13.
The 30-year-old had previously admitted 13 offences – eight counts of sexual assault of a child aged under 13, four of causing a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity, and one count of engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child.
He has been remanded in custody and will be sentenced at the court on Monday 16th March.
Bennett’s crimes came to light when his manager reviewed CCTV after concerns were raised by parents and other staff.
Bennett was sent home and a report made to the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO).
The LADO contacted police on Wednesday 26th February 2025. Bennett was arrested and questioned the same day and released on bail, with conditions including not to be unsupervised with any person under 18.
Following a six-month investigation by specialist officers, he was initially charged with eight offences last August, when he was remanded into custody by the court. He was later charged with a further 14 offences.
During the trial, prosecutor Virginia Cornwall said: “It’s every parent’s worst nightmare, that a person entrusted to be responsible for your child, care for your child and nurture your child at times when you are unable to provide that parental care, abuses their position and sexually abuses that child.
“The defendant is a paedophile. He has admitted his sexual interest in pre-school age toddlers […] by his partial guilty pleas to some charges in this case – the less serious charges.”
Investigating officer DC Bethany Cook said: “Nathan Bennett was trusted to care for very young children, but instead committed sexual offences against them at his place of work.
“This investigation involving such young children was deeply challenging and distressing for all concerned, and I would like to commend the support and strength shown by those families.
“This case has caused significant anxiety for other families whose children attended the nursery during the time these offences were committed and, when appropriate, we’ve tried to keep them informed.
“We understand that if your children have been in contact with Nathan Bennett, you may have questions and concerns and you can contact our child protection team through our website.”
Support has been offered to the families directly affected, and officers have spoken with the parents and carers of other children who attended the same care setting.
Police say that while their investigation has not identified further offences, parents and carers may still have concerns and can make direct contact with officers here.
A group of families impacted by abuse at Partou King Street nursery in Bristol have today issued a statement through their lawyers.
The families today issued a statement through Leigh Day partner Andrew Lord and associate Zayna Mahmood.
They 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.
“Thankfully, these crimes have been brought to light and Bennett has been held accountable for the horrendous breach of the trust placed in him by parents and carers.
“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.
“There are deep concerns among families that management and supervision did not protect children, and that this allowed the abuse to continue.
“We hope that, as well as securing justice through the criminal process, the wider issues around safeguarding and protection at the nursery will be properly reviewed so that nothing like this can ever happen again. The children deserve that, and so do all families who entrust their children to nurseries every day.”
Andrew Lord said: “This is an utterly shocking case. The seriousness of these offences against very young, defenceless children cannot be overstated.
“As lawyers specialising in abuse claims, we have significant experience supporting families through the aftermath of child sexual abuse.
“Even so, the concerns raised by the families in this matter about the Partou’s safeguarding practices are profound. They feel that the systems that should have been in place to protect their children simply did not work.
“That has left them with fundamental questions about how this individual was employed, supervised, and allowed to be in positions of unsupervised care.
“We will continue to support and represent families affected, and we stand ready to work with all relevant bodies to improve safeguarding practices and accountability.”
A Partou spokesperson said: “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 co-ordinated initiatives to ensure that children in all nursery settings are safe.”
