Nine men are on trial accused of sexual offences connected to a case in which a husband from Stockport has admitted drugging and raping his wife across a 20-year period, according to Manchester Evening News. The man, who is in his 60s, entered guilty pleas last month to 60 charges. The nine co-defendants all deny the sexual offences they face.
The trial continued on Tuesday, November 3, at which prosecutors began taking the jury through messages exchanged between the husband and the men now standing trial. Manchester Evening News is among the media organisations withholding the husband's name to protect the anonymity of his victim.
Why it matters
The case centres on a long-running pattern of abuse that prosecutors say was enabled through drugs and arranged contact with other men. The husband's admissions cover a wide range of offending: rape, assault by penetration, administering a substance with intent, sexual assault, attempted rape, and sharing intimate photographs or film, Manchester Evening News reports.
Because the husband has already pleaded guilty, the current trial focuses on the nine men accused of taking part in the abuse. Their denials mean the jury must weigh the evidence against each of them individually.
Messages read to the jury
Prosecutor Louise Oakley KC took the jury through exchanges between the husband and the defendants. In one exchange from February 2022, a man referred to in court as Mr Stewart told the husband he had lost his identification but had it back on a new phone, and said he had been ill with Covid, which he said "nearly killed me," according to Manchester Evening News.
Mr Stewart then said he "missed his pics" of the husband's wife, and the husband responded by sending an explicit image of her, the jury heard.
In a separate exchange, the husband asked another person whether they would like to see his "drunk Manchester wife," naming her, and the person said they would. The husband then asked whether that person's partner would pose for him; the person said no, and the husband replied that as her husband he "should make her," Manchester Evening News reports.
Video of an unconscious woman
In April 2022, the prosecutor said, the husband asked Mr Stewart whether he was around, then said his wife had consumed two bottles of wine and sleeping tablets but that he was unsure how deeply she was affected. Mr Stewart suggested filming himself pushing and pulling her, after which the husband sent a video showing his wife unconscious while he moved her arms as though checking how she responded, jurors were told.
The husband later told Mr Stewart he wished he knew where to obtain "real stuff," and the two discussed rohypnol and GHB while saying they did not know how to source them through illegal channels, according to the prosecutor's account reported by Manchester Evening News.
What to watch
The trial continues, with the prosecution expected to take the jury through further evidence and messages. Coverage of the proceedings is subject to reporting restrictions protecting the victim's identity.
