Trial begins in Manchester of nine men accused of raping and sexually abusing a drugged woman
A trial has opened at Manchester's Minshull Street Crown Court of nine men accused of taking part in the abuse of a woman whose husband drugged and raped her over two decades. All nine deny the charges.
A trial has begun at Minshull Street Crown Court in Manchester, England, of nine men accused of involvement in the abuse of a woman who was drugged, raped and sexually assaulted by her husband over more than 20 years. The husband cannot be named, to protect his victim's anonymity, and has already pleaded guilty to a number of offences against her.
The allegations
The prosecution says the nine men's offences took place between 2015 and the husband's arrest in 2025. Two of them, Daniel Rayner, 42, from Whitstable in Kent, and David Graves, 59, from Ilkeston in Derbyshire, were described as "non-contact offenders" who allegedly encouraged the abuse online. The other seven are described as "contact offenders" who allegedly visited the couple's home in Stockport, Greater Manchester, and took part in the abuse.
Three other men, Sean Peers, Keith Fotheringham and Graham Brougham, have already admitted abusing the woman at earlier hearings. Last week, Karl Lindsay, 56, from Somerset, pleaded guilty to "non-contact" offences at the same court.
The prosecution's case
Opening the case, prosecutor Louise Oakley KC told the court the husband had sexually abused his wife while she was asleep or unconscious. At first he took advantage of times when she had drunk enough alcohol to fall into a deep sleep; later, and increasingly often, he gave her a cocktail of drugs without her knowledge. From 2023 at the latest, she said, he began inviting other men to the home and filmed himself and them raping and abusing his unconscious wife.
The woman had no idea until police came to her door. The husband's offending came to light after undercover journalists infiltrated a chat on the Telegram messaging platform. His phone was seized on arrest and held more than a million photographs and videos, dating back to 2004.
Oakley rejected any suggestion that the woman was pretending to be asleep as part of role play, calling it a "smokescreen" and saying the acts were rape and sexual assault. The nine men deny all charges, and the trial continues.
