Meet the Other Phone. Protection built in.

Meet the Other Phone.
Protection built in.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

In saying 30 years is not enough?

113 replies

Blackoutbeans · 16/03/2026 14:18

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cjeng8nnn5kt

This scum gets 30 years of free board and accomodation after destroying so many lives. I hope the other prisoners give him hell but I have a feeling he might be enjoying that.

But what happens after 30 years, or is then even a possibility of early release? He will still be young enough to be able to carry out such perversions, why isn't chemical castration at least an option for such despicable human beings??

Nursery worker sentenced to 30 years for raping children

Bristol nursery worker Nathan Bennett sentenced for raping children

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cjeng8nnn5kt

OP posts:
Blackoutbeans · 16/03/2026 21:24

cocopopseveryday · 16/03/2026 18:02

It was one of the most severe sentences he could have received so that's at least some form of justice. Now we need to understand how such a catestrohphic safeguarding failure of this gravity happened in the first place. It sounds as though there were plenty of warnings about him from what has been reported in the news.
Interestingly they stated today "Det Insp Forde acknowledged the "harm and upset" caused to families whose children have attended nurseries where Bennett was employed." Which indicates there have been reports from other nurseries prior to the Bristol one where he was last working.
How long has has this really been going on for and how was it possible that he was able to go onto to this Bristol nursery and commit these absolutely vile crimes when there were previous complaints?! There are clearly people who need to be held accountable for allowing this to happen.
They are the ones who we truly entrust with our youngest and most vulnerable children. Plus the Bristol LADO were even informed and didn't act properly on the information at first, allowing him to commit more offences. Absolutely shocking!!!
It was so heartbreaking to read the parents accounts of their experiences. These poor families need answers!

This should absolutely be looked at as part of the bigger picture.
I was under the assumption that in a nursery environment no adult is to be left unsupervised with a child but I must be wrong, because otherwise the nursery in question has a lot to answer for. There needs to be a reform, nurseries are so understaffed and I can imagine that they must have been desperate for staff to hire him. Either that or they did no due diligence whatsoever, as it's been reported that he's worked in the industry for some years.

And whilst I understand that under our justice system the punishment fits the bill, I personally don't feel that is enough. To me, that is what the Nursery manager who possibly turned a blind eye and hired this piece of garbage should get.

OP posts:
Blackoutbeans · 16/03/2026 21:29

Tacohill · 16/03/2026 18:32

A hill that I will die on is that chemical castration should be mandatory for these types of men.

Whats frustrating is that sex offenders are put on protective wings with other sex offenders.

Imagine a peadophile being surrounded by other like minded people.
They spend their free time swapping stories, photos and writing pornographic stories.

He’s quite high profile, so he’ll be even more protected.

I used to be so against the death penalty as I felt it was the easy way out but too many of these men get out and still pose a risk to children.

That sounds like a holiday. Imagine being able to act out the worst thing humanly possible, to know that you will only get some years in prison hanging with your 'mates' and then you get out and can do it all again.

There is no deterrent and if anything, all the other monsters who were fantasising about committing such heinous crimes are now possibly considering it.

Chemical castration, torture, life imprisonment.

OP posts:
MJagain · 16/03/2026 21:35

cocopopseveryday · 16/03/2026 19:37

Exactly! How was it this man was left alone with any child?! Particularly after so many red flags had been raised already about him. The guy had holes in the crotch of his trousers FFS!! I am literally astounded that something as horrific as this has happened when we are supposed have such a robust safeguarding process in place these days.

This.

who the fuck decided to employ him, keep him employed etc?

and all these parents who “raised concerns” should have removed their kids.

one look at that photo and there’s no way he’d be left in charge of my toddler

we need to be less PC and more “what the fuck is a guy like that doing applying for a job in a nursery”. It’s not like he’s hiding here, he literally looks like a predator

Hallamule · 16/03/2026 21:42

Blackoutbeans · 16/03/2026 14:50

I just can't see the justice in that.
He has done some of the most vile things imaginable and seems to be getting off pretty much scot free.

A 30 year prison sentence is not "scott free" even if you think its not long enough. Prison is hardly a holiday camp either, even if they don't let the other prisoners murder him.

Eastie77Returns · 16/03/2026 21:46

MauriceTheMussel · 16/03/2026 20:21

I’m so glad you didn’t get flamed for this stance.

Whilst I’m ordinarily an articulate and open-minded person, I can’t substantiate why it’s just heebie jeebies when a guy works in early years childcare.

I looked around a nursery and the “headmaster” did the tour. Instant nope. In his second sentence to me he’d told me about his husband. A woman wouldn’t have done that. Just…off. And we can all be woke and #BeKind, but I won’t when it comes to my kid

Edited

I think as more of these cases are coming to light, there is less flaming and sneering at parents who admit they are not comfortable placing their pre-school children in the care of men. Especially when you read police reports stating they have found multiple forums on the dark web where men gather to get advice from fellow paedophiles on how to get jobs in child care settings. It’s chilling. This was reported in the Guardian by the way, not a sensationalist article in the Daily Fail.

A colleague and friend of mine has a child who attended a nursery with a male worker who was jailed last year for almost 20 years after being found guilty of abusing babies and toddlers. Unfortunately it is a nursery chain through which employees at our company can access free emergency childcare (they have now stopped working with this nursery). What is unbelievable is that his offences stretched back to 2008 and concerns were raised about him in 2017 when he was a teaching assistant. Yet he still managed to get a job in a nursery. How is this even possible. We need to knock the #bekind and inclusivity shit on its head and stop being afraid of causing offence.

Blackoutbeans · 16/03/2026 21:53

Hallamule · 16/03/2026 21:42

A 30 year prison sentence is not "scott free" even if you think its not long enough. Prison is hardly a holiday camp either, even if they don't let the other prisoners murder him.

So you feel that is sufficient punishment for a toddler rapist? How about 5 children? Or 10? Seeing as the exact number of abused children is unknown.

What if it was your child, would you still consider that 30 years in prison is harmful enough for the monster who's potentially destroyed their life?

OP posts:
grumpygrape · 16/03/2026 22:32

This is a heinous crime but getting emotional about the circumstances, the judicial system, and the prison conditions does nothing to add to make change.

cocopopseveryday · 16/03/2026 22:40

Blackoutbeans · 16/03/2026 21:24

This should absolutely be looked at as part of the bigger picture.
I was under the assumption that in a nursery environment no adult is to be left unsupervised with a child but I must be wrong, because otherwise the nursery in question has a lot to answer for. There needs to be a reform, nurseries are so understaffed and I can imagine that they must have been desperate for staff to hire him. Either that or they did no due diligence whatsoever, as it's been reported that he's worked in the industry for some years.

And whilst I understand that under our justice system the punishment fits the bill, I personally don't feel that is enough. To me, that is what the Nursery manager who possibly turned a blind eye and hired this piece of garbage should get.

I thought the same thing but the report stated that because of the way the nursery was set up there were affectively blind spots. Apparently there was no breach there which seems shocking to me. There clearly needs to me a massive reform here. What we've been sold as robust safeguarding procedures are clearly not up to scratch.

The fact still remains though that there have clearly been catestrohphic failures involving certain individuals who were aware of the problems who need it be held accountable.

As you say, where was he working before this? How long for? Reports show he was even working as a baby sitter!! Imagine! This has got to go much further than what he has been convicted of. They literally only had one month of footage. There needs to be answers as to how this man was allowed to be employed this nursery in the first place!!

WearyAuldWumman · 16/03/2026 22:44

WearyAuldWumman · 16/03/2026 19:27

A similar criminal in Scotland got a light sentence for his first offence. When he raped a disabled woman, he was placed in a facility for the criminally insane. In effect, he's in prison for life.

This is the case that I was thinking of.

He's still in Carstairs, I believe. The offence that he committed first time round was actually worse than the one that he admitted.

https://www.thetimes.com/travel/destinations/uk-travel/scotland-travel/frail-womans-rapist-jailed-for-life-8rdm8nnwfbw

Frail woman’s rapist jailed for life

A sex offender who subjected a frail woman to a horrifying rape days after she returned home from hospital was jailed for life at the High Court in Edinburgh. Richard Snaddon’s victim was found to

https://www.thetimes.com/travel/destinations/uk-travel/scotland-travel/frail-womans-rapist-jailed-for-life-8rdm8nnwfbw

WearyAuldWumman · 16/03/2026 22:47

More about the above case:

https://www.thefreelibrary.com/NEVER+LET+HIM+OUT%3B+Serial+rapist+a+killer+in+the+making.-a0136490309

ETA The point that I'm making is that these offenders should never be released.

Oneisallandallisone · 16/03/2026 22:51

All I can say is that I hope he gets murdered in prison. If not, I hope he is regularly subjected to sexual abuse whilst he serves his time.

Edited for typos

walkingaroundsostrenegrene · 17/03/2026 07:04

I agree 30 years is not long enough. He should never be released. As others have pointed out, you can't change these kind of people, so he should be locked up for life. I feel so sorry for those poor children and their families, and also imagine how awful it must feel to know he worked at a setting your child attended - you might always wonder whether he abused your baby or not.

cocopopseveryday · 17/03/2026 10:04

MJagain · 16/03/2026 21:35

This.

who the fuck decided to employ him, keep him employed etc?

and all these parents who “raised concerns” should have removed their kids.

one look at that photo and there’s no way he’d be left in charge of my toddler

we need to be less PC and more “what the fuck is a guy like that doing applying for a job in a nursery”. It’s not like he’s hiding here, he literally looks like a predator

This is what I don't understand. Surely anyone in their right mind would see a man with holes in his crotch being overly affectionate with small children and think he must be a danger. I mean FFS. Also, did you see him talking when he was being interviewed?! Totally giving wacko jacko vibes!!

I think it's a bit harsh to put that on the parents though, sometimes you don't always meet all the staff at a nursery and it sounded like he was a bit of a free roamer, helping out. Really, it's the management who employed him and continued to ignore major red flags who are responsible for allowing it to continue.

New posts on this thread. Refresh page