Manchester: A British man who drugged and raped his wife for more than 20 years, while arranging for other men to sexually assault her, had more than one million photographs and videos documenting the abuse on his mobile phone, a court in the United Kingdom has heard.

The disturbing details emerged on Monday, November 2, as the trial of nine men accused of sexual offences against the woman began at Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court. Prosecutors told the jury that the material recovered from the husband’s phone documented both his own crimes and assaults allegedly committed by other men, including some of those currently facing trial.

The husband, who is in his 60s and has not been named to protect his wife’s identity, pleaded guilty in September to 62 offences connected with the case. Prosecutors described him as a man who maintained an outwardly respectable family life while concealing decades of sexual violence.

Opening the prosecution’s case, prosecutor Louise Oakley said the phone seized by police after his arrest contained more than a million photographs and videos, with some material dating back to 2004.

Oakley described the device as a “confession booth” that contained the husband’s “darkest secrets” and “barbaric sexual fantasies”.

“There were over a million photographs and videos cataloguing not only his abuse of his wife but abuse on her committed by others, including those in the dock today,” she told the court, according to the source.

“There is no doubt he lived a double life masked in respectability,” she added.

Marriage that concealed years of sexual abuse

The prosecution described a couple whose life appeared ordinary to relatives, friends and acquaintances. They seemed to be looking forward to retirement, enjoying their home and garden, spending time with family and friends, and taking holidays abroad.

However, prosecutors said the husband had subjected his wife to years of drug-facilitated sexual abuse behind closed doors.

The woman, now in her 60s, believed that she had not had sex for nine years, according to the BBC. Prosecutors told the jury that she had repeatedly been drugged and raped by her husband and other men without her knowledge or consent.

Oakley said the husband used a combination of substances to make his wife “completely unaware” of what was happening to her.

The prosecution alleged that the abuse involved men who communicated with the husband through mobile phones and computers. Some allegedly conspired with him over several years to administer drugs that would leave the woman unconscious and vulnerable to sexual assault.

From 2023, the husband allegedly began bringing other men to the couple’s home and recording himself and others sexually assaulting his unconscious wife.

According to the prosecution, some men entered and left the property under cover of darkness to avoid being seen or heard. Others allegedly participated without physically visiting the house, encouraging the abuse or helping facilitate it through digital communication.

“They too were leading double lives,” Oakley told the jury, according to the BBC.

The allegations form part of the prosecution’s case against the nine men currently on trial. Their guilt has not been established, and they deny the charges against them.

Husband pleaded guilty to 62 offences

The husband admitted 62 sexual offences against his wife in September. The charges included rape, administering a substance with the intention of stupefying or overpowering her, sharing intimate images and assault by penetration.

Four other men have also admitted various offences connected with the case.

They are Keith Fotheringham, 59, from Dundee in Scotland; Sean Peers, 38, from Stockport; Graham Brougham, 74, from Northwich in Cheshire; and Karl Lindsay, 55, from Taunton in Somerset.

The remaining nine defendants, aged between 28 and 70, deny charges that include rape, sexual assault and conspiracy to administer a substance with the intention of stupefying or overpowering the woman.

The prosecution has identified seven of the nine as alleged contact offenders. They are accused of physically participating in the abuse.

The seven include paramedic Jonathan Kirk, 43; taxi driver Philip Wild, 59; amateur football coach Alan Keelan, 42; recruitment agency worker Mohammed Sabir, 28; Jordan Wallace, 31, who worked for a building supplies agency; sheet metal worker Richard Townsend, 37; and retired man Robert Stewart, 70.

The other two defendants, Daniel Rayner and David Graves, are described by the prosecution as alleged non-contact offenders. They are accused of not physically attending the woman’s home but allegedly encouraging the abuse or helping to facilitate it through other means.

The husband and 13 other men were initially accused of conspiring to abuse the woman. Four of the accused men have admitted offences, while the trial of the remaining nine continues.

Prosecutors describe alleged coordination among defendants

The prosecution’s opening statement focused on how the alleged abuse was organised over an extended period.

According to Oakley, the husband used digital communication to interact with other men and coordinate aspects of the assaults. The prosecution also referred to the photographs and videos recovered from his phone as evidence of the scale and duration of the alleged crimes.

The material is expected to form an important part of the case as the jury considers the charges against the nine defendants.

The prosecution alleges that the abuse was not limited to isolated incidents but involved repeated acts over several years. It also says that some of the men allegedly took steps to conceal their involvement.

The court proceedings are examining the individual roles attributed to the defendants. While some are accused of physically assaulting the woman, others allegedly supported or encouraged the abuse remotely.

The defendants’ positions remain subject to the trial, and the prosecution must establish the allegations against each of them.

UK cases renew attention on drug-facilitated sexual abuse

The Manchester proceedings have drawn wider attention to drug-facilitated sexual violence and allegations involving men arranging for others to assault their partners.

The trial is one of two cases currently being heard in Britain involving allegations that men drugged their wives and arranged for other men to sexually assault them.

A separate trial involving four men began in Winchester, southern England, last week.

The cases have also brought renewed attention to the high-profile case of Gisele Pelicot in France. Her former husband, Dominique Pelicot, was convicted in December 2024 of drugging her and arranging for other men to rape her over nearly a decade.

All 51 co-defendants in that case were also convicted of offences connected with the abuse.

Gisele Pelicot waived her right to anonymity and insisted that the proceedings be held in public. Her decision brought international attention to the issue of drug-facilitated sexual violence and the importance of confronting abuse that takes place within apparently ordinary domestic settings.

Manchester trial continues

The trial at Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court is continuing, with prosecutors presenting their case against the nine defendants who deny the charges.

The evidence includes material recovered from the husband’s mobile phone, which prosecutors say documents years of abuse and the alleged involvement of other men.

The case has exposed the alleged extent of sexual violence concealed within a marriage that appeared outwardly unremarkable. It has also raised questions about how digital communication and recording devices can be used to coordinate and document serious crimes.

The court will consider the evidence and the individual allegations against each defendant before reaching its conclusions.