Nine men go on trial over alleged abuse of woman drugged by her husband
Nine men have gone on trial accused of involvement in the abuse of a woman who was drugged, raped and sexually assaulted by her husband, The Guardian reported. The husband cannot be named, in order to protect the woman's anonymity. He has already pleaded guilty to offences against his wife spanning more than two decades.
Prosecutor Louise Oakley KC, a senior barrister, told the court that the husband had sexually abused his wife for over 20 years while she was asleep or unconscious. The prosecution said he first took advantage of occasions when she had drunk enough alcohol to fall into a deep sleep. Over time, it said, he increasingly gave her a mix of stupefying drugs without her knowledge.
The prosecution also said that from 2023 at the latest, the husband began inviting other men to the couple's home in Stockport, Greater Manchester. He allegedly filmed himself and others raping and sexually abusing his wife while she lay unconscious in bed. She had no knowledge of the abuse until police came to her door and showed her videos taken by her husband.
Seven of the defendants are described as alleged contact offenders, meaning they are accused of visiting the home and taking part in the abuse. They are Philip Wild, 58, from Stockport; Jordan Wallace, 31, from Manchester; Alan Keelan, 42, from Manchester; Jonathan Kirk, 43, from Stockport; Robert Stewart, 70, from Stockport; Mohammed Sabir, 28, of no fixed abode; and Richard Townsend, 37, from Heywood. Two others, Daniel Rayner, 42, from Whitstable in Kent, and David Graves, 59, from Ilkeston in Derbyshire, were described in court as alleged non-contact offenders, accused of encouraging the abuse online rather than taking part in person.
Three men have already admitted abusing the woman at earlier hearings at Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court. They are Sean Peers, 38, from Stockport; Keith Fotheringham, 59, from Dundee; and Graham Brougham, 74, from Northwich in Cheshire. Peers had been due to stand trial alongside 11 other men before he pleaded guilty. Karl Lindsay, 56, from Somerset, pleaded guilty to non-contact offences at the same court.
The alleged offences involving the nine men on trial are said to have taken place between 2015 and the husband's arrest in 2025. The case came to light after undercover journalists infiltrated a chat on the Telegram messaging platform. The husband was arrested and his mobile phone was seized.
Greater Manchester Police published a bulletin in September 2026 under the headline "Man admits drugging and raping wife over 20-year campaign of abuse." The bulletin refers to eight counts of other sexual offences, seven counts of sexual assault, four counts of attempted rape and one count of administering a substance.
The trial, which opened on 2 November 2026, concerns allegations that span many years and a large number of people. The defendants face charges that are alleged and have not been tested in court.
