ADRIAN SHEPHERD FROM PAPWORTH EVERARD JAILED FOR SEXUAL OFFENCES AT CAMBRIDGESHIRE SQUASH CLUB

In a disturbing series of events that have shocked the local community, Adrian Shepherd, a 62-year-old resident of Docwra Road in Papworth Everard, has been sentenced to prison after admitting to multiple sexual offences committed over several years. The incidents primarily took place at a local squash club in Cambridgeshire, where Shepherd targeted young girls, exploiting their innocence and trust.

On the morning of February 17th last year, Shepherd approached two young girls at the squash club, both under the age of 16. The first victim was approached shortly after 9 a.m. as she was on the court. According to court proceedings, Shepherd initiated contact by asking her name, shaking her hand, and then inquiring if her father was nearby. He then proceeded to make comments about her potential future, stating she could be “one of the stars of the future.” As she attempted to walk away from him, Shepherd inappropriately groped her, an act that she did not report immediately. It was only after she learned of another victim’s experience later that day that she confided in her father, overwhelmed with distress.

Later that same day, between 1 p.m. and 2 p.m., Shepherd targeted a second girl, who was under 13 years old. She was standing with a friend at the same squash club when Shepherd approached her. Once again, he told her she was a “star of the future” before groping her as he walked away. During police interviews, Shepherd admitted to speaking with the girls but claimed his intentions were merely to offer “words of encouragement.” He insisted that he shook their hands and patted them on the back, denying any inappropriate contact. Shepherd further claimed that if any groping occurred, it was accidental and unintentional.

However, the investigation uncovered a troubling pattern of past offences. Shepherd confessed to five additional counts of sexual assault by touching that spanned from 2012 to 2015. These incidents included groping a girl leaving a college in Cambridgeshire after a sporting event on May 26, 2012, and later that day, assaulting two more girls at a different sports facility—one at a water fountain and another while retrieving sports equipment. Between November 2014 and January 2015, Shepherd also sexually assaulted a girl at a football match in Huntingdon. Furthermore, between January 2014 and March 2015, he committed two separate offences against another girl—once at a corner shop in Papworth Everard, where he groped her and called her “cheeky,” and again at a restaurant, where he groped her while she was getting food from a buffet. The same girl recognized Shepherd from previous incidents and was visibly distressed, breaking down in tears to a family member in the restaurant’s toilets.

Throughout the investigation, Shepherd denied involvement in the additional offences. Nevertheless, the evidence was compelling. At a prior court hearing, Shepherd admitted to six counts of sexual assault by touching and one count of assaulting a girl under the age of 13. On December 20th, at Cambridge Crown Court, Shepherd was sentenced to a one-year prison term. He was also ordered to register as a sex offender for the next ten years and was issued a Sexual Harm Prevention Order valid for the same period. These measures aim to protect the community from any further harm and ensure Shepherd’s compliance with strict monitoring and restrictions moving forward.