Former Merseyside Officer Convicted of Sex Offenses

A former Merseyside Police officer has been convicted of multiple sexual offences, including rape, following an attack in a Liverpool city centre hotel. Ryan Theaker, 30, was found guilty by a jury at Liverpool Crown Court after an eight-day trial. The conviction was secured largely due to two audio recordings made by the victim on her mobile phone, which captured approximately 85 minutes of the assault. The recordings, presented to the jury, detailed Theaker's intoxicated aggression and the victim's repeated pleas for him to stop and leave her alone. During the audio, Theaker could be heard belching, hiccupping, and slurring his words as he made demands. Prosecutor Gareth Roberts told the jury that the recordings demonstrated a "dangerously violent" individual who refused to comply with the victim's wishes and made it clear she was not consenting. The audio files were described as deeply distressing, prompting tears from the public gallery where the victim's family sat throughout the proceedings. The victim testified in court from behind a curtain, stating that coming forward had been difficult and embarrassing but that she no longer felt shame.