Disgraced former Merseyside Police Matrix officer Ryan Theaker, convicted of rape and sexual assault, attempted to prevent the ECHO from reporting key details about his identity ahead of his trial. The 30-year-old, of Park Lane in Netherton, was found guilty this week of a series of offences, including sexually assaulting and raping his victim inside a hotel in Liverpool city centre.
The case was built after Theaker's quick-thinking victim activated an audio device on her phone, capturing dozens of minutes of his drunken assault and her harrowing pleas for him to stop. A jury of eight women and four men were played the disturbing audio and heard hours of testimony during her evidence and cross-examination. Theaker, who exercised his right to remain silent, did not take the witness stand. The prosecution told the jury that the only time they heard his voice during the trial was in the audio clips.
Application for reporting restrictions
Following Theaker's convictions, the ECHO can reveal that ahead of the trial the shamed officer applied for reporting restrictions that would have prevented his full identity being revealed. The application asked presiding judge Brian Cummings KC to order the ECHO, the only attending press organisation, to exclude Theaker's address and photograph, which are considered part of a person's legal identity in court proceedings. He also sought to have his job as a former Merseyside Police officer excluded.
Theaker was a police constable in Merseyside's Matrix disruption team, the specialist unit targeting gun and serious organised crime. The ECHO understands he wanted the identifying details removed due to concerns over organised criminals he had come into contact with, including John Wynne, an associate of Olivia Pratt-Korbel's murderer, Thomas Cashman. Theaker was involved in transporting Wynne into custody. During Cashman's trial in 2023, the jury was told Wynne was with him at the time of his first arrest.
Judge refuses application
According to judiciary guidance, a defendant should only have personal information removed from press reporting if there is clear evidence of an outstanding or imminent threat. The ECHO is unable to report the application in full because discussions were held in chambers, with the judge excluding the public gallery but allowing the press to remain. Judge Cummings refused the application in full.
The trial heard Theaker carried out the sexual attack in a hotel. Prosecuting, Gareth Roberts told the jury: "He told her that he wanted to have sex, and she told him that she didn't want to and that wasn't going to happen. He told her that he wanted to take explicit photos of her naked and started to get his camera out, but, again she told him she just wanted to go to sleep. He produced some sex toys that he had brought in a JD bag and told her that he wanted to use them on her."
She again refused, saying that was not what she wanted. She was now so worried that something horrible was going to happen that she activated a recording app on her phone that recorded what happened in the room. The victim could be heard to repeatedly tell Theaker, a dad-of-one, to "get off me, get off me". Theaker belched, hiccupped and slurred his words while making sexual demands. The court heard the victim told Theaker, who had downed at least eight pints by the time of the assault, to stop raping her but he carried on. Mr Roberts said it was "absolutely clear that she is not consenting".
Conviction and sentencing
Theaker was convicted of rape, sexual assault and assault by penetration after the jury deliberated for 10 hours and 41 minutes. The same jury found him not guilty of two offences and could not reach verdicts on two other allegations. Judge Cummings said: "From the moment of the guilty verdicts you were liable as a matter of law to register as a sex offender. The precise duration will be decided as part of the sentencing hearing, but almost certainly it will be a lifelong requirement."
Theaker was remanded in custody to appear for sentencing on October 8. A pre-sentence report was ordered to assess his dangerousness. The victim has lifelong anonymity because of the nature of the offences. The ECHO is restricted from reporting the offences in full to protect her identity.
Theaker resigned from Merseyside Police in 2025, but at an accelerated misconduct hearing in August last year he was found to have breached standards of professional behaviour for having offensive memes on his mobile phone. It was found he would have been dismissed for that breach if he had still been a serving officer. He was added to the College of Policing barred list. Merseyside Police's professional standards unit will now determine whether further misconduct proceedings will be brought.
Detective Sergeant Matthew McGuinness said: "Theaker's behaviour over a number of years was abhorrent. The fact that he is a former police officer and chose to deny the offences and force his victim to endure a trial is even more despicable. It is thanks to the bravery of his victim coming forward that we were able to build a successful case against him which led to his prosecution and sentencing. I hope this shows and reassures the public how seriously the courts take these offences and how Merseyside Police is completely committed to protecting anyone who has been subjected to such violence and sexual abuse. If you have experienced any form of sexual abuse, I urge you to please come forward and report this to police."
Deputy Chief Constable Paul White added: "The public rightly expects the highest professional standards and behaviour from all police officers and police staff whether on or off duty. Having the confidence of the public is essential for us to police Merseyside effectively. Theaker's despicable behaviour is not a reflection of the standards we seek to uphold and we will not allow the unacceptable actions of individuals to damage the good name built up by the vast majority of our officers and staff who do an exemplary job to ensure that all of our communities are protected. As a force we remain focused on our commitment to protect women and girls who are subjected to violence, sexual abuse and inappropriate behaviour."
