Former swimming teacher Nathan Berry, 38, has been sentenced at Cardiff Crown Court after targeting two non-verbal children due to their vulnerabilities. He admitted four counts of taking indecent photographs, two of making indecent images, one of possessing prohibited images, and one sexual assault of a child.
Arrest and investigation
Berry was initially arrested in March, when police found images of children on his phone. After he gave the names of the children, they were identified by their parents. While Berry was on remand, his phone was further examined and evidence showing he had sexually touched a child aged under 13 was found.
Two leisure centres in Wales have released a statement following the sentencing. Llantwit Major and Penarth leisure centres said that none of the criminal offences took place at their facilities and that no child taught within their swimming programmes was identified as a victim.
Leisure centre response
In a statement provided by the general manager at both leisure centres in the Vale of Glamorgan, it was confirmed that Berry has had no access to the facilities, operations, or pupils since his arrest in March 2026. After his arrest he was "immediately suspended, barred from all premises, and subsequently dismissed following disciplinary procedures."
Answering why they had not provided a statement to the public sooner, the manager said: "This matter was subject to a strict, police-led criminal investigation. Under national safeguarding protocols and UK criminal justice procedures, all decisions regarding public communication rested exclusively with South Wales Police and statutory safeguarding authorities."
"This was essential to protect the integrity of the judicial process, avoid prejudicing court proceedings, and safeguard the legal anonymity of the children involved. Furthermore, following the sentencing hearing at Cardiff Crown Court, South Wales Police temporarily delayed publicising the outcome at the request of the victims' families, giving them time to process the legal proceedings and the events that occurred."
Safeguarding measures and sentence
The manager continued: "The safety, welfare, and emotional well-being of your children remain our paramount responsibility. Every colleague across our aquatic and coaching teams undergoes rigorous pre-employment vetting, including an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check with Children’s Barred List screening, verified professional teaching qualifications, and regular mandatory child safeguarding training."
"Beyond pre-employment compliance, our swimming lessons operate under active, dynamic supervisory controls. Lessons are conducted in open, highly visible pool halls subject to continuous visual oversight by qualified lifeguards, peer coaching visibility, and daily walk-through audits by Duty Managers. We continually review and audit our operational safeguarding standards in partnership with the Vale of Glamorgan Council to maintain a protective environment."
At Cardiff Crown Court, Berry was given an extended sentence of eight years comprising five years and four months in prison, with the remainder to be served on licence. Berry is also subject of a restraining order and sexual harm prevention order (SHPO). As part of the SHPO he is banned from having any unsupervised contact or communication of any kind with any child under the age of 16.
