‘Evil’ UK nursery worker who raped toddlers in his care jailed for 24 years

2026.03.16 14:50 A young child huddles against a wall. Nathan Bennett sexually abused five boys at the nursery where he worked. Photo: Shutterstock An “evil” UK nursery worker who raped and abused two- and three-year-olds in his care was jailed for at least 24 years on Monday, weeks after another childcare worker was imprisoned in a similar case. Nathan Bennett, 30, was jailed at Bristol Crown Court in southwest England for the serial abuse of five boys at the nursery where he worked. He was described as an “incorrigible and dangerous paedophile” by Judge William Hart, 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. A mugshot of Nathan Bennett, who has been jailed at Bristol Crown Court for the serial abuse of five boys at the nursery where he worked. Photo: Avon and Somerset Police/AFP He previously also admitted to 13 other charges relating to four of the same children, who were two years old at the time. He “exploited his position” to “repeatedly abuse young children”, said prosecutor Gemma Kneebone. The sentence comes a month after another childcare worker, Vincent Chan, was jailed for 18 years for sexually abusing youngsters during naptime at a nursery in London. Chan’s case prompted Prime Minister Keir Starmer to consider making security cameras mandatory in nurseries – a measure that he said the government was consulting on. Bennett began working at the Partou King Street Nursery in Bristol in 2024, with concerns raised in February 2025, after CCTV footage showed him sexually assaulting a child. Families affected by Bennett’s abuse said that the criminality continued at the nursery despite concerns being raised. “We know concerns were raised to member

原文链接: 南华早报