Thirteen men will stand trial in September at Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court charged with serious sexual offences against a woman whose husband conspired with them to drug and rape her while she was unconscious, Greater Manchester Police said on Friday.
The husband, who is in his 60s and from Stockport in Greater Manchester, cannot be named in order to protect his wife’s anonymity. He initially denied all 48 counts on the indictment but on Monday changed some of his pleas, admitting five counts of rape, six counts of assault by penetration and three counts of sexual assault on various dates between 2022 and 2025. He also admitted sharing intimate images of his wife without her consent for sexual gratification.
He denies a further series of charges, including 11 counts of rape, two counts of attempted rape, seven counts of assault by penetration, four counts of sexual assault, four counts of conspiracy to rape, three counts of conspiracy to assault by penetration, one count of conspiracy to administer a substance with intent, and one count of administering a substance with intent. The charges against him span offences alleged to have occurred between 2004 and 2025.
One of the 13 co-defendants has pleaded guilty to all charges he faced, including conspiracy to rape and conspiracy to administer a substance with intent. The remaining 12, whose ages range from 28 to 73, will stand trial alongside the husband in September. The co-defendants are charged with offences including rape, conspiracy to rape and administering a substance with intent.
The case involves allegations that the men sexually abused the victim or helped supply substances to render her unconscious. A further preliminary hearing is scheduled at Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court on August 24, a week before the 12-week trial is due to begin.
(With information from Reuters and the BBC)