DANIEL SHUTTLEWOOD SENTENCED IN RHEINDALEN FOR SEXUAL OFFENCES AGAINST UNDERAGE GIRLS

In a significant legal development, Daniel Shuttlewood, aged 30, was formally sentenced to a decade behind bars at the Portsmouth Court Martial Centre following his conviction on multiple historic sexual offence charges involving underage girls during the 2000s. The case, which garnered considerable attention, stemmed from a series of disturbing allegations that spanned several years and locations, including Rheindahlen and the Joint Headquarters in Germany.

On July 24, 2015, Shuttlewood, who had previously entered a plea of not guilty, was found guilty by a civilian jury at the Bulford Court Martial Centre. The jury convicted him on four counts, specifically two charges of rape and two counts of engaging in sexual activity with a minor under the age of 16, with evidence indicating penetration in each case. These acts were deemed particularly aggravating, reflecting the severity of the crimes.

Despite the convictions, Shuttlewood was acquitted of a separate charge of indecent assault against a 15-year-old girl, which allegedly occurred during a school trip in 2003. The court's findings, however, confirmed that he had groomed two underage girls, exploiting his authority and later leveraging social media platforms to facilitate his offending behavior.

Shuttlewood’s arrest took place on August 30, 2013. During police interviews, he claimed ignorance regarding the girls’ ages and insisted that any sexual activity was consensual. His history of offending includes a troubling incident from 2003, when he befriended a girl aged 14 or 15 while he was 17 or 18. Several months after their initial contact, Shuttlewood arranged to meet her at abandoned squash courts located on the site of the Joint Headquarters in Germany, where he subsequently raped her.

Further allegations emerged from 2009, when Shuttlewood, then 24 and employed at a media company in Rheindahlen, used Facebook to establish contact with a girl of similar age—who was the sister of one of his colleagues. Over a period of months, he groomed her, engaging in sexual activities including oral penetration. The abuse culminated in a rape at his parents’ residence, highlighting a pattern of predatory behavior.

Throughout these years, Shuttlewood resided with his family in Germany, where his father was employed as a teacher at the Windsor British Military School in Rheindahlen. As a dependent of his father, Shuttlewood was classified as a civilian subject to service law and the criminal law of England and Wales. Consequently, the case was referred to the Service Prosecuting Authority for prosecution, reflecting the military jurisdiction involved in the proceedings.