Twelve men accused of sexual offences against a woman will go on trial next month after her husband admitted drugging and raping her over more than 20 years.
The husband, who is in his 60s and from the Stockport area, on Monday pleaded guilty to a total of 60 charges between 2004 and his arrest in October last year at Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court.
The charges include multiple counts of rape, sexual assault, attempted rape, and assault by penetration.
One of the charges states he intentionally administered a substance to his wife "with the intention of stupefying or overpowering" her "so as to enable a person to engage in sexual activity" between 12 November 2004 and 25 October 2025.
The offending was carried out at the family home in the Stockport area of Greater Manchester.
One man has previously pleaded guilty to sexual offences relating to the same woman.
A dozen other men, aged between 28 and 74, who are also accused of serious sexual offences relating to the same woman from 29 September 2018, deny all of the charges against them. They are:
• Karl Lindsay, 56, the former chief executive of Taunton Town FC
• Daniel Rayner, 42, from Whitstable, Kent
• David Graves, 59, from Derbyshire
• Jonathan Kirk, 43, a senior paramedic from the Stockport area
• Graham Brougham, 74, from Northwich, Cheshire
• Philip Wild, 58, who used to own a taxi service and is from the Stockport area
• Mohammed Sabir, 28, a recruitment consultant from the Stockport area
• Sean Peers, 38, from the Stockport area
• Jordan Wallace, 31, from Manchester
• Alan Keelan, 42, who used to coach an under-16s football team and is from Greater Manchester
• Richard Townsend, 37, from Greater Manchester
• Robert Stewart, 70, from the Stockport area, who denies conspiracy to rape and two counts of rape.
A jury of nine women and three men, along with two extra jurors, were sworn in to try the case on Friday 4 September, which was originally expected to last up to 15 weeks.
Judge Maurice Greene called them back to court today to explain why the trial has not yet started and told them the husband will no longer be a defendant in the case.
"You were told the prosecution case concerns allegations of sexual offending by a number of men on a female… You were also told that 14 men have been identified to date and one of those men was (her) husband," he said.
"Some of you may have seen or heard on the news on Monday 14 September that a man from Stockport had pleaded guilty to drugging and raping his wife and he admitted multiple offences of rape, attempted rape, assault by penetration, sexual assault and administering a substance with intent."
The judge explained he cannot be identified in reports of the case to protect the identity of his wife.
He sent jurors away until 5 October, when the trial is expected to start, and told them it would finish by 18 December.
(c) Sky News 2026: Trial of 12 men accused of sexual offences against woman to start ne
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