Nathan Bennett, 30, was found guilty by Bristol Crown Court on eight counts, including rape, sexual assault and penetration, in relation to five children, and was sentenced to 30 years in prison. He was also placed on the sex offenders’ register for life and made subject to an indefinite sexual harm prevention order.
The court stated that Bennett had molested children aged two and three at a nursery on Partou King Street in Bristol to satisfy his “uncontrollable and ungovernable sexual interest in male toddlers.” The defendant had also previously pleaded guilty to 13 other charges relating to four of the five victims, who were two years old at the time.
Bennett was sentenced to 30 years in prison at Bristol Crown Court, with a six-year extended licence period.
Judge William Hart described him as an “incorrigible and dangerous paedophile” who targeted the children to “pollute their innocence with your own vile desires.”
“I am unhesitatingly driven to the conclusion that you are an incorrigible and dangerous paedophile with an uncontrollable and ungovernable sexual interest in male toddlers,” the judge said. “I find it impossible to predict for how long you will remain such a danger. The simple fact of the matter, however, is that you prioritised your own sexual satisfaction over the welfare of these little children, and that was due to your grossly distorted thinking and a degree of, to use an old-fashioned word, evil,” he added.
In statements read out in court, the parents of some of Bennett’s victims described in detail how he had ruined their lives. The families of the children who suffered abuse said they needed answers as to how Bennett had been able to commit his crimes. Leigh Day, the law firm representing several families affected by this case, stated in a press release:
“We entrusted our children to Partou King Street nursery believing they would be safe, cared for and nurtured. Instead, that trust was catastrophically broken by someone who abused his position in the most unimaginable way. We know concerns were raised with members of staff – we believe those warnings and complaints were not properly followed up or escalated. Had appropriate action been taken sooner, we fear some of the abuse the children suffered might have been prevented.”
“This is one of the most deeply distressing cases any parent can imagine. Today’s sentence is an important step in holding Bennett accountable for his heinous crimes, but it does not address any wider issues that may have allowed him to continue working with very young children despite warning signs. We are continuing to investigate civil legal action on behalf of families who are seeking answers, accountability and assurances that safeguarding has drastically improved,” Leigh Day partner Andrew Lord, who represents a wider group of families affected by Bennett’s abuse, said.
“It is difficult to truly comprehend the severity of the impact this defendant’s actions have had upon our family. The guilt and anger has been overwhelming in that we sent him to the nursery, and we should have protected him. That is all we wanted to be able to do. What truly worries us is the future unknowns. What will he remember about his abuse? We will not know the true impact of Nathan’s actions for many years. We are determined that only one life will be ruined, and it will not be our son’s,” the mother of one of the children said.
The mother of another child said: “We feel manipulated, betrayed and completely let down. The strain has been overwhelming. What we want is simple – that he never has access to children again.” Another mother of a child who was abused stated that “feeling of safety has been snatched away from us and we have lost trust in humanity.”
The court heard parents and staff had been concerned about Bennett’s behaviour towards the children. Staff noted that he would sit with children on his lap for long periods and wore trousers with holes in the crotch area. Staff later recorded on CCTV cameras how he put his hands down the trousers of one of the children, leading to Bennett’s arrest and the closure of the nursery.
Charly Pattison, a lawyer, said Bennett had had a difficult upbringing as a child. “Mr Bennett’s life was very isolated and absent of the usual social interactions,” she said. “He does understand the harm and hurt he has caused and he is sorry for that.”
