MAN JAILED FOR ATTEMPTED CHILD SEX OFFENCES
Mathew Shuttleworth, who resides in Barbon, received an 18-month prison sentence at Preston Crown Court on June 4, as decided by His Honour Judge Ian Unsworth KC.In addition to his custodial term, Shuttleworth was placed under a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and mandated to adhere to notification requirements on the sex offenders register for ten years.
The case was initiated by Prosecutor Hanifa Patel on May 27, during which she revealed that the 38-year-old defendant was transparent about his age when communicating with a 12-year-old girl named Abbey, suggesting they could engage in sexual activity repeatedly, as reported in court.
Shuttleworth confessed to having sexually interacted via online messages with two other children acting as decoys between October 5 and October 25, 2022.
Ms Patel explained that Shuttleworth was caught during a sting operation conducted by a paedophile hunter group after he organized to meet a child called Abbey near Booths store in Kirkby Lonsdale.
It was disclosed that Shuttleworth initially exchanged messages with the girl through the Wink app, transitioning the conversation to WhatsApp the next day.
“The decoy informed the defendant she was only 12 years old,” Ms Patel stated.
He responded by suggesting they meet and discussed having sex, despite her informing him of her age.
Shuttleworth expressed concerns about getting into trouble and continued to talk about having sex when they met, also mentioning kissing and possibly becoming her boyfriend.
On the day they planned to meet, Shuttleworth sent the decoy images of bus and train schedules and advised her on where to get on and off.
He was apprehended at Kirkby Lonsdale Golf Club on October 25.
The prosecutor added that Shuttleworth was simultaneously communicating with two other 14-year-old decoys, named Liana and Niamh, via Wink.
He falsely told Niamh he was 35 years old, asked her to send photos, and discussed topics like farm life and animals.
He also inquired whether her father accessed her phone, to which she replied it was password protected.
Shuttleworth called Niamh ‘gorgeous’ and expressed a desire to meet her, mentioning hugging and kissing.
He also asked what qualities she looked for in a partner and whether she had an age limit, stating it was unfortunate not to be in bed with her to lie on top of her.
Regarding Liana, he said he didn’t mind her being 14 and lamented the distance between them that prevented him from hugging and kissing her.
The court heard that while no sexual images were exchanged, he solicited images from all three decoys.
During court proceedings, defence lawyer Holly Nelson urged the judge to consider a sentence other than immediate imprisonment.
She emphasized Shuttleworth’s remorse, his initial transparency about his age, and the lack of actual harm to the children involved.
She described him as a hard-working man, managing his own farm and having worked on a dairy farm for 19 years.
Due to a sexual risk order, he had been living with his parents for the past two and a half years, as he cannot reside with his wife and children, whom he financially supports.
Ms Nelson noted his deteriorating mental health, ongoing medication, and therapy efforts, asserting he is capable of rehabilitation and that his offending had been addressed.
However, Judge Unsworth KC rejected these arguments, firmly stating that such offences warrant immediate imprisonment, which only a custodial sentence could sufficiently reflect.
