An “evil” nursery worker in the UK has been jailed for at least 24 years for raping and abusing toddlers in his care, weeks after a similar case.
BRISTOL: An “evil” UK nursery worker who raped and abused two- and three-year-old children in his care was jailed for at least 24 years.
Nathan Bennett, 30, was sentenced at Bristol Crown Court for the serial abuse of five boys at the Partou King Street Nursery where he worked.
Judge William Hart described Bennett as an “incorrigible and dangerous paedophile” while handing down the sentence.
“You prioritised your own sexual satisfaction over the welfare of these little children and that was due to your grossly distorted thinking and a degree of — to use an old fashioned word — evil,” said Hart.
Bennett was convicted last month of eight charges of rape, sexual assault and assault by penetration relating to five children.
He had previously admitted to 13 other charges relating to four of the same children, who were two years old at the time.
Prosecutor Gemma Kneebone said Bennett “exploited his position” to “repeatedly abuse young children”.
The sentence comes a month after another child-care worker, Vincent Chan, was jailed for 18 years for sexually abusing youngsters during naptime at a London nursery.
Chan’s case prompted Prime Minister Keir Starmer to consider making security cameras mandatory in nurseries, a measure the government is now consulting on.
Bennett began working at the Bristol nursery in 2024, with concerns raised in February 2025 after CCTV footage showed him sexually assaulting a child.
Families affected by the abuse said the criminality continued despite concerns being raised.
“We know concerns were raised to members of staff — we believe those warnings and complaints were not properly followed up or escalated,” the families said in a statement issued by law firm Leigh Day.
They added that some of the abuse could have been “prevented” if “appropriate action had been taken sooner”.
Lawyer Andrew Lord, representing the group of families, said they were seeking “answers, accountability and assurances that safeguarding has drastically improved”.
The Sun Malaysia
