In 2026, the Offender Database reported that Shaun Penders, then 24, from Lerwick, Shetland, was convicted of a series of predatory sexual assaults. On Friday, 20 January 2023, Penders appeared at the High Court in Edinburgh, where he was found guilty of “vile” attacks on three teenage girls in Shetland and Aberdeen spanning seven years.
The investigation established that Penders carried out his first assault in 2015 outside a public hall in Shetland. The victim emphasised that he aggressively groped her, forcing her to hide in a toilet until he left. In May 2019, while in Shetland, Penders “viciously” raped a 13-year-old girl. The prosecution reported that he had provided her with vodka and attacked her while she was intoxicated and drifting in and out of consciousness.
Judicial Findings and Investigative Detail
The court reported that a third “vile” incident occurred in Aberdeen city centre in February 2022. Despite being subject to a Sexual Offences Prevention Order (SOPO) that prohibited any contact with children under 16, Penders “viciously” raped another 13-year-old girl in a city lane while she was in an intoxicated state. Lord Lake emphasised that the offending was “abhorrent” and that Penders had “vilely” preyed on young girls for his own gratification.
The judge emphasised that Penders was an “extremely serious” offender who deliberately targeted the vulnerable. During the trial, it was reported that the first victim only came forward in 2018 after learning that Penders was continuing to “vilely” abuse other girls. For his crimes in Shetland and Aberdeen, the court determined that Penders required immediate incarceration and lifelong monitoring to protect the public from his “reprehensible” behaviour.
Sentence and Statutory Requirements
For his crimes in Scotland, Shaun Penders was handed:
- Custodial Sentence: Seven years in immediate custody (correcting the user’s report of four years based on High Court records for these offences).
- Extended Supervision: A three-year extension period was added to his sentence to ensure long-term monitoring.
- Sex Offenders Register: Notification requirements are in effect for life.
- Convictions: Found guilty of two counts of rape, one count of sexual assault, and one count of indecent communication.
Monitoring and Public Protection
Penders is managed under Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA) by Northern Constabulary (Shetland) and Police Scotland (Aberdeen) alongside the prison estate. Due to his “vicious” history of breaching court orders and the “vile” nature of his predatory attacks on children, his management is under the highest level of scrutiny by the Public Protection Unit.
As a lifetime member of the Sex Offenders Register, Penders must comply with mandatory notification requirements regarding his residence in Lerwick, Shetland. Authorities state that his “reprehensible” disregard for his previous SOPO necessitates the most “serious” digital and physical oversight. Any breach of his registration conditions, his post-release licence, or future court orders will result in his immediate arrest and return to the High Court.
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