A former coworker of Nathan Bennett, a nursery worker convicted of serious crimes, expressed concerns about his behavior with children. Despite her repeated warnings to management before his arrest, she felt her observations were dismissed. Bennett, 30, was sentenced to 30 years for raping and assaulting five toddlers at a nursery in Bristol. The coworker, Bessie Martin, noticed Bennett’s unsettling interactions with children months prior to his arrest, including holding them for extended periods away from CCTV cameras. She voiced her concerns to management, but they were not taken seriously.

According to Bessie, she often raised alarms about Bennett’s conduct, but her fears were brushed aside, leading her to feel isolated in her observations. She believed that if her concerns had been heeded and thorough CCTV checks had been conducted, the outcome could have been different. Bennett’s suspension only occurred after Bessie reported him to senior management, but he was allowed to return to work briefly before another incident was captured on CCTV, leading to his subsequent arrest.

Parents had also reported Bennett’s suspicious behavior to the nursery management, with one mother describing him as overly physical with children. Despite these reports, some concerns were not escalated to the appropriate authorities. The lack of clear evidence from CCTV footage left many parents uncertain about whether their children had been victimized by Bennett. During the trial, staff described Bennett as possessive over certain children and displayed concerning behaviors like sitting children on his lap for extended periods.

The nursery where the incidents occurred closed down, but the parent company, Partou, continues to operate numerous sites across England. Following Bennett’s arrest, Partou nurseries received more official notices for safeguarding improvements compared to the national average. The company emphasized its commitment to safeguarding and support for affected families. An independent review identified shortcomings at the Bristol nursery, leading to personnel changes and internal investigations.

In a statement issued by a law firm representing affected families, they demanded answers about how Bennett was allowed to work with children and the failures in safeguarding at the nursery. The families sought clarity on the screening processes and safeguarding protocols that failed in this case.