manchester, england —
A husband accused of drugging and sexually abusing his wife over two decades will go on trial in Manchester, England, on Tuesday, along with more than a dozen other men accused of participating in or abetting the abuse.
Prosecutors say her husband, a man in his 60s from Stockport in northern England, has been charged with 48 crimes since 2004.
Police are not releasing the husband’s identity to protect his wife’s privacy.
The husband initially denied all wrongdoing. He has since pleaded guilty to 15 charges, according to prosecutors. The charges included five counts of rape, six counts of sexual assault, three counts of sexual assault, and one count of sharing intimate images of his wife without her consent.
The remaining 33 cases are denied.
A 13th man, Keith Fotheringham, 59, from Dundee, Scotland, separately pleaded guilty to assault by penetration, conspiracy to commit assault by penetration, conspiracy to commit rape and conspiracy to administer drugs with intent. He remains in custody and will be sentenced at a later date.
At a preliminary hearing, prosecutors alleged that some of the men were invited to the couple’s home in Stockport, about 30 minutes south-east of Manchester, to carry out the crime.
The 12 co-defendants, aged between 28 and 73, come from across the UK and deny the charges.
They include paramedic Jonathan Kirk, 43, from Stockport, who was pictured shaking hands with Prince Harry when he visited local emergency workers following the 2011 riots in Manchester and Salford. Kirk is charged with rape, conspiracy to commit rape, and conspiracy to commit assault.
Former football club chief executive Carl Lindsay, 55, is also on trial, charged with conspiracy to rape, conspiracy to commit sexual assault and conspiracy to administer drugs with intent.
Other defendants in the Greater Manchester area include:
Mohamed Sabir, 28, charged with rape, conspiracy to commit rape, and conspiracy to commit assault
Philip Wilde, 58, charged with rape conspiracy, sexual assault conspiracy, attempted rape and sexual assault.
Jordan Wallace, 31, charged with rape, conspiracy to commit rape, and attempted rape.
Former youth football coaches Alan Keelan, 42, and Robert Stewart, 70, have been charged with rape and conspiracy to commit rape.
Sean Pierce, 38, and Richard Townsend, 37, are charged with assault by trespassing and conspiracy to commit assault by trespassing.
Daniel Rayner, 42, of Kent, and David Graves, 59, of Derbyshire, are both charged with conspiracy to commit rape, conspiracy to commit assault by penetration and conspiracy to administer drugs with intent. Graham Brougham, 73, from Cheshire, is charged with rape, conspiracy to commit rape and conspiracy to commit forcible assault.
They will stand alongside her husband in the Minshull Street courtroom during the scheduled 12-week trial.
