A man who sexually abused children while working at a nursery in Bristol has received a 30-year sentence at Bristol Crown Court today, Monday 16 March.
In February Nathan Bennett, 30, of Corston, was tried and convicted by a jury of:
- Two counts of sexual assault by penetration
- Two counts of rape of a child under 13
- Four counts of sexual assault of a child under 13
He had previously admitted thirteen offences:
- Eight counts of sexual assault of a child aged under 13
- Four counts 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.
During the sentencing hearing, statements prepared by some of the victims’ families were read out, in which they talked about their wonderful children.
The families went on to express feeling ‘distraught’ upon learning their child had been sexually abused by Bennett and the ‘overwhelming anger’ that they continue to experience. They also stated that they now struggle to trust anyone.
Bennett’s crimes came to light when concerns were raised by parents and other staff, leading his manager to review the nursery’s CCTV.
With offences caught on camera, police were called on Wednesday 26 February 2025. That same day officers arrested and questioned Bennett.
Specialist child protection officers reviewed hundreds of hours of footage from 18 nursery CCTV cameras, identifying multiple offences and five child victims.
The team then had to visit the children’s families and break the awful news of what had been happening.
Bennett was initially charged in August 2025 and has been remanded in custody ever since.
In mitigation, the court was told Bennett had no previous convictions and that he is sorry for the harm he understands he caused.
His Honour Judge William Hart described Bennett as a ‘dangerous paedophile’, adding that while some of the children may not remember the abuse they were subjected to, the families will never forget the ‘torment’.
Sentencing Bennett, he said: “Watching as we did in this trial, the CCTV footage of the little children at the nursery running around and playing brings a smile to any decent person…
“But the children we saw were not secure, they were at risk because unknown to staff and parents that you were lurking and ready to abuse them and to pollute their innocence with your vile desires.”
Judge Hart handed Bennett a 30-year sentence, including a 24-year custodial term, with the remaining six years to be served on licence. Bennett was also made subject of an indefinite sexual harm prevention order.
The judge passed his thoughts to the family and thanked police for the work investigating this case.
The case has proved to be difficult and distressing for everyone concerned.
The investigating officer, DC Bethany Cook, said: “Nathan Bennett is a predatory paedophile who groomed children in order to commit vile sexual crimes on very young victims.
“He has manipulated his way into a position of trust which has given him access to victims who are just toddlers.
“By refusing to plead guilty and admit to carrying out the most serious sexual offences, he extended the trauma of those families by putting them through a trial.
“In the statements read today, a number of those families expressed feeling a sense of guilt for what had happened to their young children. Bennett, not them, is the person who deserves to feel guilt because it was him that knowingly subjected his victims to such sickening abuse.
“I hope that now that he has been handed a lengthy prison term, the victims and families will finally be able to rebuild their lives.”
Gemma Kneebone of the Crown Prosecution Service’s South West Rape and Serious Sexual Offences Unit said: “Nathan Bennett’s offending is amongst the most appalling and upsetting that I have seen in my time as a prosecutor of sexual offences.
“When we send our children to school or pre-school each day, we do so trusting that they will be cared for and kept safe. Bennett took advantage of that trust, seeking out a profession that gave him access to the most vulnerable of victims.
“He exploited his position – and the trust that came with it – to repeatedly abuse young children, while grooming them to believe that his sickening behaviour was normal.
“To discover that a person to whom you had entrusted your child’s care could betray that trust in such a way is unimaginable, and our thoughts remain with all of those affected by these terrible crimes.”
