A former coworker of Nathan Bennett, a convicted paedophile nursery worker, expressed concerns about his interactions with young children, suggesting that his actions could have been identified earlier if her worries had been addressed. Bennett, 30, was sentenced to 30 years in prison for sexually assaulting five toddlers in his care at Partou King Street Nursery in Bristol. Bessie Martin, a former nursery worker, reported feeling uneasy about Bennett’s behavior around children months before his arrest, noting that he would hold children for extended periods and keep them out of view of CCTV.
Despite Martin raising multiple concerns to management, she felt her apprehensions were dismissed, with her being told she was imagining things. She emphasized that had her observations been taken seriously and thorough CCTV checks conducted, the outcome might have been different. After submitting a whistleblowing report to senior management, Bennett was suspended but later allowed to return to work. Only after CCTV footage revealed inappropriate behavior towards a boy did the nursery take action, leading to Bennett’s eventual arrest.
Parents had also raised concerns about Bennett’s conduct to nursery management before his arrest, with some reporting him as being overly physical with children. However, some of these concerns were not relayed to the necessary authorities as required by law. During Bennett’s trial, staff testified to his possessive behavior towards certain children and his inappropriate actions, further highlighting the negligence in addressing the situation promptly.
Following Bennett’s arrest, Partou nurseries faced increased scrutiny, with a higher number of official notices requiring improvements related to safeguarding. Partou emphasized its commitment to enhancing safeguarding measures and supporting affected families while acknowledging the need for internal review and action against individuals involved in the failings at the Bristol nursery. The families impacted by Bennett’s actions seek answers regarding the breakdown in safeguarding processes that allowed such a catastrophic situation to occur.
