A nursery worker in Bristol, Nathan Bennett, 30, has been sentenced to 24 years in prison for sexually abusing children in his care.

Bennett was found guilty of two rapes, four sexual assaults, and two assaults by penetration, involving five boys aged two to three at the Partou King Street Nursery. He had also admitted to 13 other sexual offences against four of the same children.

He started working at the nursery in 2024 but was arrested less than a year later after CCTV showed him putting his hands down a child’s trousers.

The prosecutor told the court that Bennett’s actions were “every parent’s worst nightmare.” She explained that someone trusted to care for children had abused that trust in the worst way.

Nursery staff reported that Bennett would sit children on his lap for long periods and was territorial over certain toddlers. He also wore trousers with a hole in the crotch area, raising concerns among staff.

During the trial, video interviews of two victims, called Child A and Child E, were shown to the jury. One mother shared that her son told her about the abuse at nursery, saying she had to stop him from repeating what had happened.

Judge Hart described Bennett as “evil” and “a dangerous paedophile” while handing down the sentence. Bennett claimed he was copying how he had been treated as a child, but the judge said he had put his sexual satisfaction above the safety of children.

The judge also noted that even if some children may not remember what happened, parents and families will never forget. Victim statements revealed the lasting trauma and heartbreak caused by Bennett’s actions.

Families of children who were not abused also said they were devastated by the horrific abuse, showing how the scandal affected the entire nursery community.

The law firm Leigh Day, representing the parents, said nothing could explain the shock and anger felt by the families. They emphasized that the children were innocent and vulnerable, and that the nursery should have been a safe place.