Richard Tutt successfully defended Captain Ricky Shepherd of the Royal Marines, currently serving with a specialist military unit. Captain Shepherd was accused of rape, attempted rape, digital penetration and sexual assault of a female. The offences were alleged to have taken place at a military base in Dorset. Following a trial at the Crown Court in Bournemouth, which lasted seven days, Captain Shepherd was acquitted of all counts. Unusually, the cross-examination of the complainant took place in private, for reasons relating to national security, as a result of an application made by the Defence ahead of the trial. The case attracted significant media interest, including The Times, The Telegraph, Mirror and Dorset Echo websites.