13 men accused in years-long drugging and abuse of wife case

A Greater Manchester man has admitted raping and sexually assaulting his wife on multiple occasions between 2022 and 2025, while 12 co-defendants are due to stand trial alongside him over allegations that span more than two decades.

The husband, who is in his 60s and cannot be identified for legal reasons, pleaded guilty on Monday, June 23, 2026, at Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court. He also admitted sharing intimate photographs and videos of his wife without her consent for sexual gratification, after previously denying 48 charges that included conspiracy to rape and conspiracy to administer a substance with intent to stupefy or overpower.

The allegations against him date back to 2004, and the case now moves toward a trial set to begin on September 1, 2026. One separate defendant from Scotland, in his 50s, has already pleaded guilty to four offences, including conspiracy to rape and conspiracy to administer a substance with intent to stupefy or overpower, leaving the remaining accused to face the court on related counts.

The co-accused can be named for the first time after reporting restrictions were lifted, a step that places the case in the open record and reflects the principle of open justice in proceedings involving serious sexual violence and alleged group offending. The court process is now focused not only on the husband’s admitted crimes, but also on the wider allegation that he conspired with other men to drug and sexually abuse his wife over many years.

The scale of the allegations has drawn comparisons with the Mazan case in France, where investigators said Dominique P abused Gisèle P between 2011 and 2020 and used records, phone bills, pictures and videos to identify more than 50 suspects. A French court later found 47 men guilty of rape, two of attempted rape and two of sexual assault, underscoring how digital evidence and documentary records can expose abuse that once stayed hidden behind closed doors.

In the Manchester case, the husband still faces trial on remaining allegations, including claims that he drugged his wife to enable sexual offences to be committed against her. The next hearing will test those accusations in full, with 13 men now tied to a case that has already moved from secrecy into public view.