Senior paramedic among 13 charged with husband accused of raping drugged wife

A former football club boss and a senior paramedic are among 14 men charged over an alleged plot to rape and sexually assault a man's drugged wife.

Sky News is not naming the woman or her husband as it would identify her.

The man, who is in his 60s and from the Stockport area, has been charged with 48 offences, which allege he drugged his wife to rape and sexually assault her on his own over more than two decades since 2004.

Between 2018 and his arrest last year, he allegedly plotted with other men to sexually assault and rape his wife while she was unconscious and invited them to carry out attacks with him.

He has pleaded guilty to 15 of the charges, including five counts of rape, three counts of sexual assault, six counts of assault by penetration and a charge of sharing intimate images over a three-year period between March 2022 and October last year.

Three of the rape charges and one of the assault by penetration allegations are said to involve other men. He denies the rest of the charges.

The identities of 13 other men, aged between 28 and 73, who face charges relating to the same alleged victim can be reported for the first time after a reporting restrictions order was lifted on Friday.

Keith Fotheringham, 59, from Dundee, has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to rape, conspiracy to commit assault by penetration, conspiracy to administer a substance and assault by penetration.

All of the other dozen men have denied the charges against them and face a 15-week trial at Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court from 1 September, alongside the husband.

They include Jonathan Kirk, 43, a senior paramedic, who denies conspiracy to rape, conspiracy to commit assault by penetration and rape.

Kirk, then 28, was pictured with Prince Harry during a visit to the Salford Ambulance Station in the wake of the 2011 UK riots.

All of the men are charged with various conspiracy offences and all but three are alleged to have also committed contact sexual offences along with the husband.

Karl Lindsay, 55, resigned as the CEO of Taunton Town FC around the time of his arrest in November last year.

He is accused of supplying the drugs used to incapacitate the alleged victim, organising the abuse and receiving photos and videos of the alleged attacks in return.

Lindsay has denied charges of conspiracy to rape, conspiracy to commit assault by penetration and conspiracy to administer a substance with intent to stupefy or overpower to allow sexual activity.

Daniel Rayner, 41, from Whitstable, Kent, and David Graves, 59, from Derbyshire, who are also not accused of any contact offences, have denied the same charges.

The other men are:

Graham Brougham, 73, from Northwich, Cheshire, who denies conspiracy to rape, conspiracy to commit assault by penetration and rape.

Philip Wild, 58, who used to own a taxi service and is from the Stockport area, who denies conspiracy to rape, conspiracy to commit assault by penetration, sexual assault, attempted rape and assault by penetration.

Mohammed Sabir, 28, a recruitment consultant from the Stockport area, who denies conspiracy to rape, conspiracy to commit assault by penetration and three counts of rape.

Sean Peers, 37, from the Stockport area, who denies conspiracy to commit assault by penetration and assault by penetration.

Jordan Wallace, 31, from Manchester, who denies conspiracy to rape, rape and attempted rape.

Alan Keelan, 42, who used to coach an under-16s football team and is from Greater Manchester, who denies conspiracy to rape and two counts of rape.

Richard Townsend, 37, from Greater Manchester, who denies conspiracy to commit assault by penetration and assault by penetration.

Robert Stewart, 70, from the Stockport area, who denies conspiracy to rape and two counts of rape.

Of the 48 charges on the indictment, 23 involve the husband alone, eight are conspiracy counts, and 17 relate to alleged contact offences with the husband and others.

He denies 33 charges, including:

• Four counts of conspiracy to rape.

• Three counts of conspiracy to commit commit sexual assault by penetration.

• One count of conspiracy administer a substance with intent to overpower to allow sexual activity.

• 11 counts of rape.

• Two counts of attempted rape

• Seven counts of sexual assault by penetration.

• Four counts of sexual assault.

• One count of administrating a substance with intent to stupefy or overpower to allow sexual activity.

(c) Sky News 2026: Senior paramedic among 13 charged with husband accused of raping drugged wife