Nursery worker guilty of abusing toddlers in Bristol
Nathan Bennett, 30, of Corston near Bath, was convicted at Bristol Crown Court of two counts of rape, four counts of sexual assault and two counts of assault by penetration.
A nursery worker has been found guilty of sexually abusing children at a nursery in Bristol, in a case a prosecutor described as “every parent’s nightmare”.
Nathan Bennett, 30, of Corston near Bath, was convicted at Bristol Crown Court of two counts of rape, four counts of sexual assault and two counts of assault by penetration. The offences involved five boys, aged two and three at the time, at the Partou King Street Nursery.
Bennett had already admitted 13 other sexual offence charges linked to four of the children, who were two years old.
The court heard Bennett started work at the nursery in July 2024. He was reported to police after the nursery manager, Victoria Tutton, said she saw CCTV footage of him putting his hands down a child’s trousers.
Avon and Somerset Police launched an investigation and Bennett was arrested in August 2025 after what officers described as a six-month inquiry. The nursery later closed in December 2025.
Jurors were told parents and staff had raised concerns about Bennett’s behaviour before his arrest. Staff said he would keep certain children on his lap for long periods, acted “territorial” around some toddlers and their parents, and wore trousers with holes in the crotch area.
One colleague told the court Bennett seemed to have a “jealous attachment” to five children and would “take control” of them.
The jury also watched video interviews of two of the children involved in the case. One mother told the court her son had shown her what had happened to him.
Bennett denied being sexually attracted to children. He told the court he was copying abuse he said he suffered as a child.
Some families whose children attended the nursery said they were devastated and wanted answers about how the abuse was able to happen. They said they were seeking support and clarity on what checks were done and how safeguarding “failed so catastrophically”.
Partou said it was shocked by the details of the case and said its safeguarding policies had been followed. The company said it had strengthened its approach after recommendations from an independent review.
Detective Inspector Lucy Forde said the investigation had been deeply distressing and acknowledged the wider anxiety caused to families whose children attended the nursery during the period.
The judge, William Hart, said Bennett would face a very long prison sentence. He was remanded in custody and is due to be sentenced on 16 March.
