Stockport Man Who Admitted 20 Years of Drugging and Raping His Wife Submits Witness Statement as Trial of 12 Co-Defendants Approaches

A man who has confessed to repeatedly drugging and raping his own wife over a period spanning more than two decades has now provided a witness statement detailing his version of events, a jury at Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court has been told. The husband, who is in his sixties and resides in the Stockport area of Greater Manchester, cannot be identified in media reports in order to safeguard his wife's legal right to anonymity as a complainant in a sexual offence case.

The man had initially denied any wrongdoing when first confronted with allegations, but last month he dramatically changed his plea, admitting to 60 separate criminal offences. These include charges of rape and administering a substance with intent — a charge that reflects the calculated nature of his conduct in secretly sedating his victim before carrying out the attacks. The offending is said to have continued for more than 20 years, making it one of the most protracted cases of domestic sexual abuse to come before the courts in recent memory.

In addition to the attacks he carried out personally, the husband had also faced accusations that he invited 13 other men to abuse his wife, with those alleged incidents said to have taken place between 2018 and November 2025. That element of the case has now been separated from the proceedings against him, as he is no longer a defendant in the ongoing trial following his admissions.

A jury was formally sworn in at the court in early September, but the case has since been delayed for a combination of legal and practical reasons. On the most recent occasion the jurors attended, Judge Maurice Greene provided them with an update on the progress of the case. Earlier hearings had already informed the jury that the husband had admitted 60 offences and would no longer stand trial as a defendant alongside the others.

Judge Greene explained to the jury that the husband has now made a statement about "what he says happened," describing it as a long and detailed document that has been disclosed to all defence counsel involved in the case. He told jurors that the statement contained "lots of pages and lots of documents," and that the legal teams were going through it carefully — work that remains ongoing.

The nine women and three men of the jury, along with two female reserve jurors, were invited into court to receive the update. They were asked to return on Monday 19 October, when the prosecution case against the remaining 12 defendants is due to open. That trial will proceed without the husband in the dock, but his admitted conduct is expected to form significant background to the allegations faced by the other men.

One co-defendant has already entered guilty pleas. Keith Fotheringham, 59, from Dundee in Scotland, has admitted to several offences connected to the case. He will therefore not face trial on those charges, but the remaining defendants continue to deny the allegations against them.

The twelve men still set to be tried are: Philip Wild, 58, from Stockport; Sean Peers, 38, 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; Graham Brougham, 74, from Northwich in Cheshire; Richard Townsend, 37, from Rochdale; Karl Lindsay, 55, from Taunton in Somerset; Daniel Rayner, 42, from Whitstable in Kent; and David Graves, 59, from Ilkeston in Derbyshire. The men are geographically dispersed across England and Scotland, reflecting the sprawling nature of the investigation.

The case raises profound questions about the dynamics of domestic abuse and the ways in which victims can be subjected to sustained, hidden violence within what appears from the outside to be an ordinary marriage. The use of sedating substances to facilitate rape is a particularly insidious form of offending, as it deprives the victim of both awareness and the ability to resist, and can continue undetected for years. Specialist prosecutors and police forces have increasingly focused on such cases in recent years, aided by improved forensic testing and a greater willingness among victims to come forward.

The fact that the husband has now provided a witness statement adds a further layer of complexity to the proceedings. Such statements, while not evidence in the traditional sense when a defendant has pleaded guilty, can be relevant to the sentencing process and to the cases against co-defendants. The judge's decision to inform the jury about the statement suggests that its contents may be referenced during the trial of the remaining men, and that the legal teams will need time to absorb and respond to the material.

Sentencing for the husband is expected to take place at a later date, following the conclusion of the trial against the other defendants. Given the volume of offences admitted — 60 in total — and the duration of the abuse, he faces the prospect of a substantial prison term. The court has not yet indicated when that hearing will occur.

The trial of the twelve co-defendants is scheduled to open on 19 October, when the prosecution will begin outlining its case. Until then, the jury has been instructed to return on that date, and the legal teams will continue to prepare. The case remains active, and reporting restrictions continue to apply to the identity of the husband and his wife.