‘Dangerous paedophile’ jailed for 24 years for sexual abuse of children

A former nursery worker who was found guilty of sexually abusing multiple young children in his care has been jailed for 24 years.

Nathan Bennett, from Coston near Bath, was sentenced on Monday to 30 years in prison, of which he must serve a minimum of 24 before he is considered for release.

The 30-year-old was convicted of two counts of sexual assault by penetration, two counts of rape of a child under 13 and four counts of sexual assault of a child under 13.

Bennett had also admitted to 13 other charges against children in the nursery’s care when he was convicted on February 9.

These charges covered eight counts of sexual assault of a child under 13, four counts of causing a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity and one count of engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child.

During the hearing at Bristol Crown Court on Monday, victims’ family members said they were left “distraught” when they learned what had happened to their children and that they continue to feel an “overwhelming anger”.

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A nursery worker has received a 30-year sentence after being convicted of more than 20 sexual offences against young children, including two counts of rape.

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Bennett’s crimes were uncovered after parents and staff raised concerns about the practitioner, prompting his manager to launch an investigation on the nursery’s CCTV.

Presiding judge William Hart described the criminal as a “dangerous paedophile”.

During sentencing, he said: “Watching as we did in this trial, the CCTV footage of the little children at the nursery running around and playing brings a smile to any decent person.

“But the children we saw were not secure, they were at risk because unknown to staff and parents that you were lurking and ready to abuse them and to pollute their innocence with your vile desires.”

Alongside his sentence, Bennett was also made subject of an indefinite sexual harm prevention order.

Investigating officer, detective constable Bethany Cook, said: “Nathan Bennett is a predatory paedophile who groomed children in order to commit vile sexual crimes on very young victims.

“He has manipulated his way into a position of trust which has given him access to victims who are just toddlers.

“By refusing to plead guilty and admit to carrying out the most serious sexual offences, he extended the trauma of those families by putting them through a trial.

“In the statements read [on Monday], a number of those families expressed feeling a sense of guilt for what had happened to their young children.

“Bennett, not them, is the person who deserves to feel guilt because it was him that knowingly subjected his victims to such sickening abuse.

“I hope that now that he has been handed a lengthy prison term, the victims and families will finally be able to rebuild their lives.”

Main photo: Avon and Somerset Police