Shane Percival

Shane Percival, a lance corporal with the Royal Anglian Regiment based in Norwich, was convicted at Norwich Crown Court in 2022 of the rape and sexual assault of a child under 13. The offences occurred between December 2011 and August 2013, when Percival was aged between 16 and 18, and the victim was between nine and 10 years old.

The victim, who cannot be named for legal reasons, came forward at the age of 15 by confiding in a teacher about the abuse she had endured. Court proceedings revealed the profound impact on her mental health, including self-harm and suicide attempts. Percival, who had served at Woolwich Barracks and in Cyprus, was sentenced to five years and two months' imprisonment. Additionally, he was subjected to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for six years, placed on the sex offenders register indefinitely, and prohibited from contacting the victim directly or indirectly for six years.

Tragically, Percival died on 10 November 2023 at the Norfolk and Norwich Hospital, aged 30. An inquest opened at Norfolk Coroner's Court confirmed the provisional cause of death as hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy due to an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest secondary to hanging. At the time of his death, he was employed as a store manager controller and resided at Lynford Drive, Eaton. Born on 30 March 1995 in Leicester, the coroner noted that further evidence was being gathered, with his family invited to provide a pen portrait. A full inquest is scheduled for 30 April 2024.