A man who ran a teeth whitening salon has been jailed for 26 years for a string of rapes and sexual assaults spanning more than a decade.
Warning: This article contains details that some readers may find disturbing.
Ricky Stubberfield, 31, was convicted of 23 offenses against seven women between 2013 and 2024.
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said some of the attacks took place at the Essex Smiles salon in PlymouthDevon, during the period 2022-2024 was co-owner and manager.
CPS said some of the women were contacted by Stubberfield on Instagram and offered free treatment in exchange for promoting his business.
When they attended their dates, Stubberfield made sexual advances before assaulting them.
Other offenses were carried out by Stubberfield in various locations around Plymouth.
The sex predator, of Plympton, was arrested in June 2024 following multiple complaints to police.
In July, he was found guilty of eight counts of rape. nine counts of sexual assault. four counts of assault by penetration. A measure of a child’s generation of indecent images. and an exhibition number.
Stubberfield was sentenced at Plymouth Crown Court on Tuesday.
He was jailed for 26 years, plus an additional six years on license after he is released into the community.
Stubberfield was also placed on the sex offenders’ register for life.
Judge HHJ Linford said: “Your conduct was a completely ruthless grab.”
The CPS said Stubberfield first came to the attention of police in February 2022 when a 16-year-old girl reported that he sexually assaulted her twice that month.
One night, he had raped her in the disabled toilet during a gig at Plymouth Pavilions and later in the back of his van on Plymouth Hoe.
In the second case at a home, the victim was subjected to multiple rapes and other sexual offenses while Stamperfield told her to “be quiet”.
Some of the offenses were recorded during a FaceTime call to her friend after Stubberfield brazenly pulled her out of sight to sexually assault her and forced her to perform a sexual act on him.
Unbeknownst to Stubberfield, his actions were reflected in a nearby hood and he saw the caller, who yelled for him to stop. He had also recorded the call and provided it to the police.
The court heard that in 2024, a woman reported being abused by Stubberfield at Essex Smiles.
In response, Operation Highrock was launched by Devon and Cornwall Police’s Project Gemstone, a specialist sex crime investigation team.
Following a third report in 2024, Stubberfield was arrested and charged with multiple offences.
A report in the local media prompted other victims to come forward.
Some believed they were the only ones, and Stubberfield’s sexual behavior was often dismissed by those who knew him as “just Ricky”.
Between 2022 and 2024, he had molested five women, all in their 20s, at the teeth whitening and tanning salon.
Four victims were sexually assaulted while receiving teeth whitening treatments, three of which he offered on social media. He was also exposed to a fifth victim.
In all cases, Stubberfield made inappropriate sexual comments as a precursor and asked details about their sex lives.
Once in the treatment chair with a mouth guard, he sexually abused and assaulted them, asked for photographs and made repeated violent sexual displays.
One woman described feeling trapped, while another told police she froze in fear of what might happen next.
The fifth woman was accompanied by her toddler when she went to buy a product from the salon.
Stamperfield asked her out on a date, which she declined. He then showed her a picture of his genitals before pulling down his pants to expose them.
After leaving the store, he called a few minutes later to ask her out again.
Read more from Sky News:
The former French president goes to prison for a five-year sentence
Man jailed for plotting to rape and murder TV star loses appeal
In 2013, Stubberfield sexually assaulted a woman he met on a dating website, forcing himself on her before she managed to escape.
Another victim met Stubberfield in 2021 where he raped her twice before asking her if she “loved a Nando’s”.
The CPS said the victims were aged between 16 and 27 at the time of the offenses – all younger than Stubberfield.
Detective Inspector Marcus Hodges, senior investigating officer, welcomed the sentence.
He added: “I thank and commend the victims who not only had the courage to report the offences, but also supported the police investigation and gave evidence in court.
“Their strength and bravery is admirable and I sincerely hope they find some closure and can start to move on with their lives after this result.”
