A disgraced Aberdeen businessman who once owned a designer clothes store in the city’s Galleria has been convicted of rape after claiming an attack was just “a bit of roleplay”.
Ryan Steehouder, 33, preyed on a woman who was forced to endure repeated physical and sexual abuse in the Aberdeen area between May 2011 and April 2015.
A trial at the High Court in Edinburgh heard evidence from Steehouder’s victim, who cannot be named for legal reasons.
She told of one attack in which the former owner of the now-closed fashion shop 1 Off raped her while claiming it was “roleplay”.
A jury also heard her describe his physical assaults of seizing and lifting her by the body and throwing her, causing her to strike her head and body against walls and doors.
He would lie on top of her, kick her, restrain her, choke her and cause her to lose consciousness, the court was told.
Aberdeen businessman told reporter his rape victim was ‘lying’
Steehouder, of Sunnyside Road, Aberdeen, denied any wrongdoing as he turned up for proceedings wearing designer clothing each day and sporting a dyed blonde haircut.
He didn’t give evidence but he approached a journalist covering the case during breaks in the trial to claim that his victim was “lying” and that she “wanted her day in court”.
On Tuesday, jurors convicted Steehouder on charges of threatening or abusive behaviour, assaulting her to the danger of her life, rape and sexual assault.
Judge Lord Doherty told Steehouder that he would be remanded in custody ahead of a sentencing hearing early next year.
The judge ordered reports to be prepared on Steehouder’s background.
Lord Doherty said: “This is a case where there will obviously be a custodial sentence”.
Steehouder was also placed on the sex offenders register and told he would learn the period for which he will be subject to its requirements when he is sentenced.
During proceedings, the court heard directly from the woman about the abuse she suffered and she described the moment that Steehouder raped her.
“He took off my underpants and put them into my mouth,” she said, adding: “He told me it was a bit of a role-play.
“He told me not to scream and he told me not to shout. He told me it was an ‘effing rape’. He told me not to shut up and he said ‘don’t scream’.
“He managed to fully penetrate me. I winced and he told me to shut the f*** up. I felt horrible after it.”
Ryan Steehouder’s victim gave evidence against former clothes shop boss
The woman described another time that Steehouder sexually assaulted her.
She explained: “He put his fingers inside me and said ‘I’m just checking to see that nobody has been inside’ of me”.
The woman also told the court of the stress that she was put under because of Steehouder’s behaviour.
He faced a total of five charges on the indictment and his lawyers had entered not guilty pleas on his behalf.
On Tuesday, the jury returned with their verdicts after a day spent in deliberation.
Following the verdict, defence advocate Lynsey Morgan told Lord Doherty that she’d reserve the mitigation for her client for the sentencing hearing.
Steehouder will now spend Christmas in custody.
A background report on him that was ordered will also contain an assessment of the risk that Steehouder poses to the public.
Convicted rapist worked in oil and gas before opening Aberdeen fashion store
After the guilty verdicts were returned, jurors heard that Steehouder had previous criminal convictions and had earlier served a prison sentence.
The physical and mental abuse of the woman included slamming her head against a car window and posting on social media that he was sitting outside her home with a knife.
It lasted more than a year and he repeatedly breached court orders to stay away from her.
Steehouder worked in the oil and gas sector for 10 years before opening the designer clothes store called 1 Off at the Galleria in Aberdeen.
His firm – 1 Off Store (UK) Ltd was dissolved in September 2022.
He was the director of another firm called Cloud Competitions Ltd, which was dissolved in April 2023.
Companies House states that the nature of this business was the “sale of used cars and light motor vehicles”.
Steehouder will be sentenced at the High Court in Edinburgh on January 9 2024.
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