A police officer who raped a woman in a hotel room has been described as a “monster” after being sentenced to 11 years in prison.
Ryan Theaker, 30, was a serving Merseyside Police constable when he subjected the woman, who was known to him, to an 80-minute ordeal in a hotel room in 2023.
The victim secretly recorded the incident on her mobile phone. The audio was later played to jurors at Liverpool Crown Court as part of what was described as “harrowing” evidence.
Giving evidence in court, she said that “people like him have no place in society” and that “his actions will always impact my life”.
Judge Brian Cummings KC told Theaker that he had caused the woman “severe psychological harm” and was responsible, “in large measure”, for her suicide attempt in 2024.
Theaker, from Netherton in Merseyside, was convicted in August of rape, sexual assault and assault by penetration.
On Thursday, the victim told the court: “I still struggle to understand how he was able to go into work, arrest someone for a crime that was less or the same as what he had done to me and still be proud to wear that uniform.
“He didn’t deserve to be in the police. He didn’t deserve his nice house. He didn’t deserve his nice new car.
Ryan Theaker, 30, was a serving Merseyside Police constable when he subjected the woman to an 80-minute ordeal in a hotel room in 2023
Theaker was sentenced to 11 years in prison, followed by a further five years on licence
“I always thought when I was younger that monsters were big horrible nasty creatures who weren’t even real.
“I remember reading a post that said, ‘even Scooby-Doo taught us the real monsters were always the people’.
“That is exactly what he is. A monster. The monster never wins.
“It is true his actions will always impact my life. I’ll always be physically and emotionally damaged. He wasn’t successful in fully breaking me.
“Of course, I have to rebuild pieces that he did manage to break but those pieces are so much stronger than before. I am not afraid.”
The judge imposed an extended five-year licence period. Theaker must serve at least two-thirds of his sentence in custody before he can be considered for release by the Parole Board.
The court heard that Theaker had since accepted he committed the sexual offences, although he said his recollection was “limited” because he had been intoxicated by alcohol.
Jenny Tallentyre, defending, said: “He has begun to reflect on the impact of his behaviour on her. He has talked about his own shame and embarrassment.
“He has acknowledged his behaviour on the night was unacceptable.”
Theaker had previously been described as an “excellent police officer”. He received a commendation in 2020 and was nominated for a bravery award last year.
He resigned from the force in August 2025 ahead of a misconduct hearing into his sharing of two videos in a WhatsApp group in 2021 that were ‘ableist in nature’, said Merseyside Police.
Those videos were unrelated to the rape investigation and emerged after his mobile phone was seized for examination.
The matter was found proven at the level of gross misconduct, and it was determined he would have been dismissed if he had still been serving.
Following sentencing, Assistant Chief Constable Karen Jaundrill said: ‘The behaviour for which Theaker has been convicted and sentenced has no place in society, and certainly not within policing.
‘I want to be clear that his contemptible behaviour is in no way representative of the attitude or behaviour of officers and staff at Merseyside Police.
‘Theaker’s former colleagues, and the force, have all been left shocked and disgusted by his actions and the long-term impact they have had on his victim.
‘Clearly we now know this man was not fit to be a police officer, and it is right that he is no longer part of the force.’