Paedophile nursery worker could have been stopped sooner, says former colleague

Paedophile nursery worker could have been stopped sooner, says former colleague

A BBC investigation has uncovered that serious warnings about a suspected paedophile working at a nursery were dismissed by management for several months. The revelations center on Nathan Bennett, a former childcare worker at Partou King Street Nursery in Bristol, who was convicted in February and sentenced to 30 years in prison for sexually abusing five boys aged two and three.

Bessie Martin, a former employee at the nursery, reported concerns about Bennett’s behaviour to her superiors before his offending was officially discovered. She observed Bennett holding children for extended periods, often sitting them on his lap in areas not covered by CCTV, but her complaints were largely ignored. According to Martin, she was told she was “imagining it.” It was only after she submitted a whistleblowing report that Bennett was initially suspended; however, he returned to work briefly before a subsequent review of CCTV footage revealed him abusing a child, which led to his second suspension and arrest.

Partou, one of England’s largest nursery providers with over 100 sites, has stated that it encourages the reporting of concerns and has acted to implement recommendations aimed at improving safeguarding and oversight across its organisation. Despite this, the investigation found that Partou nurseries received a greater number of official notices to improve safeguarding and child welfare than the national average, particularly after Bennett

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