Nursery worker guilty of raping children
Chloe HarcombeWest of England
Avon and Somerset PoliceA nursery worker has been found guilty of sexually abusing children in what was described in court as “every parent’s nightmare”.
Nathan Bennett was convicted of two counts of rape, four counts of sexual assault, and two counts of assault by penetration. The charges related to five boys at the Partou King Street Nursery in Bristol, who were two and three years old at the time.
He had previously admitted 13 other sexual offence charges relating to four of the boys, who were two years old.
The 30-year-old, of Corston near Bath, was arrested in August 2025 following a six-month investigation by Avon and Somerset Police.
Warning: This story contains distressing details
The jury at Bristol Crown Court was sent out to consider its verdicts on Friday afternoon, following four days of evidence.
Bennett began working at the nursery in July 2024. He was arrested in February 2025 after the nursery’s manager Victoria Tutton saw CCTV footage of him putting his hands down a child’s trousers and reported him to the police.
The nursery closed in December 2025.
At the beginning of the trial, Virginia Cornwall, prosecuting, told jurors that concerns were raised by parents and staff about Bennett’s behaviour towards the children in his care before his arrest.
“The events that were to unfold… are, you may think, every parent’s nightmare,” she said.
“A person entrusted to be responsible for your child, care for your child, nurture your child – at times when you are unable to provide that parental care – that abuses that position, that trust, that role, and sexually abuses your child.”
Staff noted that Bennett sat children on his lap for lengthy periods of time, wore a pair of trousers with holes in the crotch area, and acted “territorial” over certain toddlers and their parents, the court heard.
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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, the jury watched video interviews of two children in the case, who were referred to as Child A and Child E.
Child E’s mother also gave evidence and said her son had demonstrated how he had been abused at nursery.
Bennett denied having a sexual attraction to children and claimed he was “emulating” abuse he experienced as a child.
Some families who had children at the nursery who were not abused by Bennett said in a statement they were “devastated by the horrific abuse”.
They have said they want answers to how Bennett was able to carry out his crimes and are now being supported by law firm Leigh Day.
“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,” a spokesperson for the firm added.
“The children were innocent and completely vulnerable; they were in a place that should have been safe.”
They added that the families wanted to know what checks were made and how the nursery’s safeguarding systems had “failed so catastrophically”.
A spokesperson for Partou said the company was shocked and distressed by the details of the case.
They said: “We have robust safeguarding policies and practices in place at Partou, which have been followed throughout.”
They added that Partou had strengthened its approach to safeguarding as a result of recommendations made following an independent review.
“We will be engaging with the sector and government to pursue co-ordinated initiatives to ensure that children in all nursery settings are safe,” the spokesperson said.
Det Insp Lucy Forde, from Avon and Somerset Police, said the investigation into Bennett’s crimes was deeply challenging and distressing for all concerned.
“This case has also caused significant anxiety for other families whose children attended the nursery during the time these offences were committed. And, where appropriate, we’ve kept them informed.
“We understand that anyone with children who’ve been in contact with Nathan may have questions and concerns.
“They can contact our child protection team through a dedicated form that can be accessed via the Avon and Somerset website.”
Judge William Hart said the convicted paedophile would face a very long custodial sentence.
“These are the youngest children I have had to deal with in many, many years,” Hart said.
“[Child E] is probably the youngest child to have been a witness in a trial here, if not in the whole of the country.”
He also thanked the jury for their careful consideration of the “distressing case”.
Bennett was remanded in custody ahead of his sentencing on 16 March.
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