NORTH AYRSHIRE MAN TO STAND TRIAL AFTER DENYING RAPE ALLEGATIONS
Update, may 2026 A man described as a predatory sexual offender who repeatedly assaulted a young girl and a woman has been sentenced to 16 years in prison.Stephen Ripley appeared at the High Court in Glasgow last week for sentencing.
The 51-year-old was previously convicted by a jury of six charges linked to horrific crimes spanning over ten years.
Residing at Holehouse Drive in Kilbirnie, Ripley was convicted of two rape offenses—one involving a child—along with three counts of child sexual assault and a charge of attempting to pervert the course of justice.
During sentencing, Judge Norman McFadyen KC stated that the jury viewed Ripley as a predatory sexual offender who was driven by his own sexual gratification, without regard for consent or the impact on victims.
The social work report indicated little hope for rehabilitation, given Ripley's denial of responsibility.
Victim impact statements highlighted the profound emotional harm inflicted.
Ripley was convicted of raping a girl under 12 on multiple occasions between early 2011 and the end of 2014 at an Irvine address.
The same girl was assaulted again in June 2017, at the same location.
Additionally, he sexually abused another young girl repeatedly between July 2019 and July 2021, often touching her legs and buttocks and making sexual comments.
These offenses occurred near Loch Lomond, during car journeys around Glasgow and Irvine, as well as in other locations.
He also assaulted this girl at an Irvine address, and attempted to obstruct justice related to these crimes.
In September 2023, while aware of his guilt, Ripley threatened a woman in Clydebank, warning he would "blow up the house" of anyone who assisted police in their investigation.
His final conviction involved assaulting and raping a woman at an Irvine property in September 2023, where he restrained her and caused injury during the attack.
The judge emphasized that only custody was appropriate and sentenced Ripley to 16 years, retroactively starting from March 31.
He will have to register as a sex offender indefinitely, and various non-harassment orders were put in place to protect the victims.
______________________________________________ A NORTH Ayrshire man is set to stand trial next year after denying multiple allegations of rape.
Stephen Ripley pleaded not guilty to a total of 10 charges when he appeared at the High Court in Glasgow last week.
The 50-year-old, of Kilbirnie, faced four accusations of rape involving three alleged victims spanning more than a decade.
An initial charge alleges that Ripley raped a primary school-aged child "on various occasions" between January 2011 and December 2014, at an address in Irvine.
It is also claimed that he sexually assaulted the same child in June 2017, when they were a teenager, at the same location.
Prosecutors claim that Ripley attempted to pervert the course of justice in August 2019 by threatening the child not to disclose the alleged offences and offering to buy them gifts if they complied.
Ripley also faced one further accusation of rape against the same alleged victim, with the incident alleged to have taken place on an occasion between February and March 2023.
The accused also denied another claim of rape against a woman, said to have taken place on various occasions from April 2016 to November 2019, at an address in Dumbarton.
A further charge stated that, having committed the alleged offence and others, Ripley attempted to pervert the course of justice by making threats to the woman that he would "blow up the house of anyone who gave a statement about him to the police".
He faces two other claims of child sexual offences—both of which referred to the same alleged victim.
According to the Crown, on various occasions from July 2019 to July 2021, he sexually assaulted the youth at a location near Loch Lomond and during the course of car journeys near Glasgow and Irvine.
The indictment adds that he sexually assaulted the same youth at an address in Irvine on a different date.
Ripley faced one further allegation of rape, which is alleged to have involved another woman on either September 8 or 9, 2023, at a property in Irvine.
He is accused of causing injury in this alleged offence.
A final charge claims that, having been granted bail, Ripley approached the alleged victim and entered a property on November 27, 2023, after being ordered not to do so.
After submitting not guilty pleas to all charges, Ripley will now stand trial in March 2026 at the High Court in Glasgow.
