South Shields rapist broke woman before suicide, family say

The family of a woman who killed herself after being raped say her attacker left her “completely broken” and showed no sadness for her death.

Ryan Callaghan, 33, raped the woman at his home in South Shields in June 2023 after inviting her over for a hot tub party.

Eight weeks later, the woman took her own life, with a Newcastle Crown Court judge saying the rape was a factor in her suicide.

After Callaghan was jailed for 10 years, the woman’s family said they had been left with a life sentence.

The court had heard the “very complex” woman, who the BBC has chosen not to name, had a history of alcohol addiction and severe mental health problems, and had been released from hospital hours before Callaghan attacked her.

She killed herself in August 2023, with notes she left referencing the rape and the trauma caused by it, the court heard.

Judge Stephen Earl said he could not say Callaghan caused the woman’s death but the rape was a “substantial element” in her distress.

Her family said the loss of a child was “horrific” but they also had to “get through every day with the pain of knowing that our child was raped before she went on to take her own life”.

In a statement, they said: “Callaghan might have gone to prison, but we are serving a life sentence in the knowledge of what he did.

“He left her completely broken as a result of his actions.”

The family said Callaghan, who had denied rape but was convicted by jurors, had shown “no remorse for what he did and no sadness at all at the loss of her life”.

The woman was described by her family as kind, caring, funny and bright, and they said she was loved by all who knew her.

They thanked the police for investigating and the jurors for “seeing through Callaghan’s lies”, but added: “However, it is cold comfort for us all, as she is gone, and can’t ever know that she got justice.”

Det Con Amy Burridge, of Northumbria Police, said it had been an “extremely distressing case”.

She said it was “imperative” the victim’s voice was heard, with jurors watching the interviews she gave to police before her death.

The officer praised the woman’s bravery, adding: “Even though she is tragically no longer with us, I hope her family can take some sense of closure knowing the person who caused her so much distress is now in prison and will be monitored by police for the rest of his life.”

Callaghan will also have to sign the sex offender register.