Nursery Worker Admits Abusing Toddlers in Bristol 'Parent's Nightmare' Case
A nursery worker has admitted sexually abusing five toddlers in his care in what prosecutors have described as 'every parent's nightmare' during proceedings at Bristol Crown Court.
Guilty Pleas to 'Less Serious' Charges
Nathan Bennett, aged 30, has pleaded guilty to thirteen charges involving five children aged just two or three years old. However, he continues to deny eleven more serious allegations, including multiple counts of rape, sexual assault, and assault by penetration against children under thirteen.
Prosecutor Virginia Cornwall informed jurors that Bennett's guilty pleas relate to what the court considers 'less serious' charges on the indictment. The defendant now faces trial for the remaining, more severe alleged offences.
CCTV Evidence Reveals Predatory Behaviour
Miss Cornwall told the court that compelling evidence of Bennett's conduct comes from CCTV footage captured inside the Partou King Street Day Nursery and Pre-school in Bristol. The prosecutor stated that Bennett, who began working at the nursery in July 2024, had through his partial guilty pleas 'admitted a sexual interest in pre-school boys'.
'We are concerned with events at a nursery here in Bristol, and the events that were to unfold on February 26 last year are you may think every parent's nightmare,' Miss Cornwall told the jury. '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.'
Systematic Grooming of Vulnerable Children
The prosecutor described how Bennett 'presented as suitable' with experience working in other pre-school settings, but allegedly used his position to systematically groom and abuse the youngest children in his care.
'The evidence that you are going to be viewing via CCTV will show that he is many things, including a risk taker,' Miss Cornwall said. 'He took opportunities that he either engineered or were presented to him within the nursery setting to abuse.'
She detailed how Bennett allegedly cultivated inappropriate familiarity with the toddlers through tactile behaviour including hair ruffling, touching, and physical closeness. 'You may think, with children as young as two or three, who are understandably trusting of an adult who they have a familiarity with,' she told jurors. 'As you will see from the footage, he actively encourages that familiarity.'
Pattern of Predation and Concealment
Miss Cornwall described Bennett's alleged conduct as demonstrating 'a certain level of predation' through repetitive behaviour that went undetected by colleagues for months. 'It was not something that others were aware of, there were concerns from some colleagues about his proprietorial attitude towards certain children,' she explained. 'But it was not until February 26 that anyone thought that he was sexually touching anyone.'
The prosecutor characterised the behaviour as involving both 'nurturing' and 'grooming' elements designed to gain the trust of vulnerable children who were developmentally unable to comprehend the sexual nature of the abuse.
Specific Charges and Nursery Closure
Bennett, of Corston near Bath, denies the following specific charges:
- Two charges of raping a child under 13
- Four charges of sexual assault of a child under 13
- Two charges of assault of a child under 13 by penetration
- Three charges of engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child
He has previously pleaded guilty to thirteen other charges, including:
- Eight charges of sexual assault of a child under 13
- Four charges of causing a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity
- One charge of engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child
The court heard that the nursery closed following the launch of a police investigation into the allegations. The trial continues as the jury considers the remaining charges against Bennett.
