Nine men have gone on trial at Manchester Minshull Street crown court, accused of abusing a woman who was drugged, raped and sexually assaulted by her husband over more than two decades. The husband has already pleaded guilty to a number of offences, and the prosecution case alleges the nine men were involved between 2015 and his arrest in 2025.
Prosecutor Louise Oakley KC told the court that, unbeknownst to the victim, her husband had been abusing her sexually while she was asleep or unconscious for over 20 years. He had done so initially by taking advantage of occasions when she had drunk enough alcohol herself to put her into a deep sleep, and also on many more occasions, increasingly frequently, by deliberately administering a cocktail of stupefying drugs without her knowledge.
From 2023 onwards at the latest, the court heard, the husband began inviting other men to the couple's home in Stockport, Greater Manchester, where he filmed himself and others raping and sexually abusing his wife while she lay unconscious. Ms Oakley said the men derived “sexual gratification and enjoyment” from knowing the victim was unaware. She said the prosecution called a possible suggestion that the victim was pretending to be asleep or unconscious as part of a fantasy role play with her husband a “smokescreen”.
The offending was discovered after undercover journalists infiltrated a chat on the Telegram messaging platform. The husband's mobile phone was seized. Ms Oakley described the phone as a confession booth and said it contained over a million photographs and videos cataloguing his abuse of his wife and abuse committed by others.
The nine defendants are alleged to have been involved between 2015 and the husband's arrest in 2025. Seven are described in court as “contact offenders”, accused of participating in the abuse: Philip Wild, 58; Jordan Wallace, 31; Alan Keelan, 42; Jonathan Kirk, 43; Robert Stewart, 70; Mohammed Sabir, 28; and Richard Townsend, 37. Two are described in court as “non-contact offenders”, Daniel Rayner, 42, and David Graves, 59, alleged to have encouraged the abuse online.
Three other men have already admitted to abusing the woman at previous hearings: Sean Peers, Keith Fotheringham and Graham Brougham. Last week, Karl Lindsay also pleaded guilty to non-contact offences at the same court. All nine men on trial deny the charges.
The trial at Manchester Minshull Street crown court continues.
Analysis
Why This Matters
- The trial highlights the use of encrypted communication platforms like Telegram to organise and facilitate serious sexual offending.
- It underscores the investigative role of undercover journalism in uncovering crimes hidden behind closed doors.
- The large number of accused and the duration of the abuse raise broader questions about the detection of networks targeting unconscious victims.
Background
The case emerged after an undercover investigation into a Telegram chat group. The husband was arrested in 2025 and has since pleaded guilty to decades of offences against his wife, who was unaware of the abuse until police informed her. The trial is being heard at Manchester Minshull Street crown court.
Key Perspectives
Louise Oakley KC (prosecution): accused the nine defendants of "leading double lives", arguing they were aware the victim was unconscious and were present to "use her body whilst she was unaware". She described the acts as "rape and sexual assault, pure and simple".
The nine defendants: deny all charges against them.
What to Watch
- The verdict for the nine men, expected after the trial concludes.
- The sentencing of the husband and the four men who have already pleaded guilty.
- Any further police investigations or platform policy changes stemming from the Telegram chat revelations.
Checked
12 claims in this story checked against 1 source: 12 supported.
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- SupportedNine men have gone on trial accused of involvement in abusing a woman drugged and raped by her husband; the prosecution has opened its case.UK news | The Guardian: “Nine men have gone on trial accused of being involved in the abuse of a woman who was drugged, raped and sexually assaulted by her husband”
- SupportedThe husband has already pleaded guilty to offences against his wife spanning more than two decades.UK news | The Guardian: “The husband, who cannot be named in order to protect the anonymity of his victim, has already pleaded guilty to a number of offences against his wife spanning more than two decades.”
- SupportedThe offences involving the nine men are alleged to have taken place between 2015 and the husband's arrest in 2025.UK news | The Guardian: “The offences involving the nine men on trial, who the prosecution say “were [also] leading double lives”, are alleged to have taken place between 2015 and the husband’s arrest in 2025.”
- SupportedThe prosecutor said the husband sexually abused his wife for over 20 years while she was asleep or unconscious, including by secretly administering drugs.UK news | The Guardian: “Unbeknownst to [the victim], for over 20 years, her husband had been abusing her sexually in a variety of ways whilst she was asleep or was unconscious.”
- SupportedFrom 2023 at the latest, the husband began inviting other men to the home and filming them raping and sexually abusing his unconscious wife.UK news | The Guardian: “from 2023 onwards at the latest, though he had been talking about it for much longer, [the husband] began actively inviting other men round to their home, and, whilst his wife lay unconscious in their bed, he filmed himself and others raping and sexually abusing her”
- SupportedOakley said the men derived “sexual gratification and enjoyment” from knowing the victim was unaware.UK news | The Guardian: “Oakley said the men “derived sexual gratification and enjoyment from knowing” that the victim was “unaware” or “out of it”.”
- SupportedOakley called the suggestion that the victim was pretending to be asleep or unconscious a “smokescreen”.UK news | The Guardian: “Oakley said that while during the course of the trial it maybe be suggested that the victim was “in fact only pretending to be asleep or unconscious as part of a fantasy role play with her husband … the prosecution says that is a smokescreen”.”
- SupportedThe offending was discovered after undercover journalists infiltrated a Telegram chat.UK news | The Guardian: “The court heard that the husband’s offending was discovered after undercover journalists infiltrated a chat on the Telegram messaging platform.”
- SupportedOakley described the husband's phone as a “confession booth” and said it contained over a million photographs and videos cataloguing his abuse and abuse by others.UK news | The Guardian: ““That telephone was like a confession booth,” Oakley said ... She said the mobile phone contained “over a million photographs and videos, cataloguing not only his abuse of [his wife] but abuse committed by others on her, including those in the dock today”.”
- SupportedThe seven participating defendants were described as “contact offenders”; Rayner and Graves were described as “non-contact offenders” accused of encouraging the abuse online.UK news | The Guardian: “Two of the men, Daniel Rayner, 42, from Whitstable in Kent and David Graves, 59, from Ilkeston in Derbyshire, were described in court as “non-contact offenders”, who are alleged to have encouraged the abuse online. The other seven were described as “contact offenders””
- SupportedThree other men had admitted abusing the woman at previous hearings, and Karl Lindsay pleaded guilty last week to non-contact offences.UK news | The Guardian: “Three other men, Sean Peers, 38, from Stockport; Keith Fotheringham, 59, from Dundee; and Graham Brougham, 74, from Northwich in Cheshire, have already admitted to abusing the woman ... Last week, Karl Lindsay, 56, from Somerset also pleaded guilty to “non-contact” offences”
- SupportedAll nine men on trial deny the charges.UK news | The Guardian: “The men deny all of the charges against them.”