Trial of 12 men accused of sexual offences due to start next month after husband admitted drugging and raping wife

The husband, a man in his 60s from Stockport, pleaded guilty to 60 charges

The trial of 12 men accused of sexual offences is expected to start next month after a husband admitted drugging and raping his wife over a 20-year period.

The husband, a man in his 60s from Stockport, pleaded guilty to 60 charges. His guilty pleas were entered on Monday (September 14).

He admitted charges of rape, assault by penetration, administering a substance with intent, sexual assault, attempted rape and sharing intimate photographs or film. The husband will no longer feature as a defendant in the trial.

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The Manchester Evening News and other media organisations are not naming the husband in order to protect the anonymity of his wife. The law entitles her to anonymity for life. A further 12 defendants are due to go on trial on October 5. They all deny sexual offences.

They are David Graves, 59, of Milton Avenue, Derbyshire; Robert Stewart, 70, of Sandpiper Drive, Stockport; Karl Lindsay, 56, of Wordsworth Drive, Taunton; Philip Wild, 58, of St Davids Road, Cheadle; Graham Brougham, 74, of Birtwistle Road, Rudheath; Northwich, Daniel Rayner, 42, of Sherwood Drive, Whitstable; Sean Peers, 38, of Sandwich Road, Eccles; Mohammed Sabir, 28, of no fixed address; Jordan Wallace, 31, of Hindsford Close; Wythenshawe, Alan Keelan, 42, of Foscarn Drive, Wythenshawe; Richard Townsend, 37, of Woodland Street, Heywood; and Jonathan Kirk, 43, of Telford Close, Macclesfield.

The jury were originally sworn in on September 4 and were recalled to court today (September 16) to be addressed by Judge Maurice Greene. He told jurors: “You were told amongst other things that the prosecution’s 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 them was [the husband]. That is [the wife’s] husband.

“Some of you may have seen or heard on the news on Monday that a man from Stockport had pleaded guilty to drugging and raping his wife, and that he admitted multiple offences of rape, attempted rape, assault by penetration, sexual assault and administering a substance with intent.

“His identity is protected in the public domain to protect [his wife’s] identity. Of course the man who pleaded guilty was [the husband]. He will no longer be a defendant in this case.

“As a result of those pleas, there is work to be done by the parties in this case. You were also told that the case could not sit in any event in the week commencing September 28.

“That is still the case. What I am going to do is ask you to come back to this court on Monday October 5. On that date I anticipate the trial will commence.”

The judge said he hoped that the trial would conclude by December 18.

Proceeding.