Karl Shuttleworth

A 60-year-old man from Poulshot in Wiltshire has been imprisoned following his guilty pleas to serious child sex offences. Karl Shuttleworth appeared at Salisbury Crown Court on 23 February 2026, where he was sentenced to three years in custody for his predatory online behaviour targeting children.

Shuttleworth's arrest stemmed from information received by Wiltshire Police in 2024 regarding his online conduct. Investigations revealed that he had been communicating with individuals he believed to be young children, as young as 12, via various online platforms. His interactions were explicitly aimed at arranging meetings for sexual activity, demonstrating a clear intent to exploit minors. Although no live victims were identified in the case, the evidence uncovered during the police probe highlighted Shuttleworth's genuine sexual interest in children.

The charges to which Shuttleworth pleaded guilty included attempting to cause or incite a female child to engage in sexual activity, attempting to cause a child under 13 to watch or look at an image of sexual activity, arranging or facilitating the commission of a child sex offence, and attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child. These offences underscored the gravity of his actions and the potential danger he posed to vulnerable young people.

• Attempting to cause or incite a female child to engage in sexual activity
• Attempting to cause a child under 13 to watch or look at an image of sexual activity
• Arranging or facilitating the commission of a child sex offence
• Attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child

In addition to the three-year custodial sentence, Shuttleworth was subjected to a ten-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order, which imposes restrictions to prevent future offending. He was also indefinitely barred from working with children and vulnerable adults, a measure deemed necessary given his employment history that brought him into contact with such groups. Details of his specific role in that capacity were not disclosed by Wiltshire Police at the time of reporting.

DC Jason Walsh, from Wiltshire Police's Child Internet Exploitation Team, described Shuttleworth as a 'predator' in a statement following the sentencing. 'Shuttleworth is a predator who made numerous attempts via various online platforms to instruct people who he believed were children to engage in sexual activity,' Walsh said. 'Fortunately, although we found no live victims, we believe Shuttleworth had a real sexual interest in children by the way he was engaging with online profiles and considering he had a job which involved working alongside vulnerable children, I believe he posed a real danger. I am therefore, extremely pleased that as a direct result of our complex investigation, he has been given not just a custodial sentence, but barred from working with children for life.'

The case was reported by Wiltshire 999s, highlighting the ongoing efforts of Wiltshire Police to combat child exploitation online. This incident serves as a reminder of the risks posed by individuals who use digital platforms to target minors, and the importance of vigilant monitoring by law enforcement.