The trial of nine men accused of sexual offences after a husband admitted drugging and raping his wife for more than 20 years continued this week at Manchester's Minshull Street Crown Court. The husband, a man in his 60s from Stockport, has pleaded guilty to 62 charges, including rape, assault by penetration, administering a substance with intent, sexual assault, attempted rape, and sharing intimate photographs or film.
Prosecution case and defendants
Prosecutors allege the husband invited a number of men to their home to sexually abuse his wife while she was unconscious after being drugged. The Manchester Evening News and other media organisations are not naming the man to protect his victim's anonymity. Nine defendants are on trial, and all deny sexual offences.
Seven of the defendants are described as 'contact offenders', who jurors heard visited the couple's home expecting the woman to be 'wasted' and 'out of it'. They are: taxi driver Philip Wild, 59; recruitment agency worker Mohammed Sabir, 28; building supplies employee Jordan Wallace, 31; industrial cleaning firm worker Alan Keelan, 42; retiree Robert Stewart, 70; sheet metal worker Richard Townsend, 38; and senior paramedic Jonathan Kirk, 43.
The Crown alleges 'non-contact' offenders, who allegedly 'hid behind a screen' as they conspired to administer substances to the wife, are kitchen firm sales rep David Graves, 60, and self-employed mechanic Daniel Rayner, 42. Four other men – Keith Fotheringham, Karl Lindsay, Sean Peers and Graham Brougham – pleaded guilty at earlier hearings to various offences linked to the case.
Investigation and evidence
The court previously heard the husband was arrested in October 2025 after undercover journalists in Germany infiltrated a chat group on Telegram for people interested in sex with someone asleep or unconscious. Authorities were alerted and an investigation was launched. The husband was identified as one of the group users who had shared imagery of sexual abuse of his wife.
A phone was seized from his home, which was found to have a million photographs and videos said to have catalogued the abuse by the husband and other men. Prosecutors compared the phone to a 'confession booth', containing the husband's 'darkest secrets'. The trial has been told he initially took advantage of his wife – asleep or unconscious – through alcohol and took videos and images he shared online. His internet browsing history between 2014 and 2025 revealed extensive searches for medication and drugs, the Crown says. From 2023 onwards, prosecutors say the husband began inviting other men to the couple's home, where it is alleged he and others sexually abused her while she was unconscious.
The husband will be sentenced at a later date.
Defendants and charges
The nine defendants in the dock, who all deny the allegations against them, are:
- David Graves, 59, of Milton Avenue, Derbyshire, denies one count of conspiracy to rape, one count of conspiracy to commit assault by penetration, and one count of conspiracy to administer a substance with intent.
- Robert Stewart, 70, of Sandpiper Drive, Stockport, denies one count of conspiracy to rape and two counts of rape.
- Philip Wild, 58, of St Davids Road, Cheadle, denies one count of conspiracy to rape, one count of conspiracy to commit assault by penetration, one count of sexual assault, one count of attempted rape, and one count of assault by penetration.
- Daniel Rayner, 42, of Sherwood Drive, Whitstable, denies one count of conspiracy to rape, one count of conspiracy to commit assault by penetration, and one count of conspiracy to administer a substance with intent.
- Mohammed Sabir, 28, of no fixed address, denies one count of conspiracy to rape, one count of conspiracy to commit assault by penetration, and three counts of rape.
- Jordan Wallace, 31, of Hindsford Close, Wythenshawe, denies one count of conspiracy to rape, one count of rape, and one count of attempted rape.
- Alan Keelan, 42, of Foscarn Drive, Wythenshawe, denies one count of conspiracy to rape, two counts of attempted rape, and one count of assault by penetration.
- Richard Townsend, 37, of Woodland Street, Heywood, denies one count of conspiracy to assault by penetration and one count of assault by penetration.
- Jonathan Kirk, 43, of Telford Close, Macclesfield, denies one count of conspiracy to rape, one count of conspiracy to commit assault by penetration, and one count of rape.
Four other men pleaded guilty at earlier hearings to various offences linked to the case, the jury has been told. They are Keith Fotheringham, 59, of Cleghorn Street, Dundee; Karl Lindsay, 56, of Wordsworth Drive, Taunton; Sean Peers, 38, formerly of Sandwich Road in Eccles, now of Stockport; and Graham Brougham, 74, of Birtwistle Road, Northwich, Cheshire.
Trial progress
As the trial, presided over by His Honour Judge Maurice Greene, entered its second week, prosecution counsel Louise Oakley KC continued going through the sequence of events in the case with Greater Manchester Police Detective Sergeant Richard Bolt. Jurors were told about messages said to have been sent, key dates, and relevant images and videos.
The trial did not sit on Monday, November 9, due to a juror being ill. Judge Greene told the other jurors: "One of the 12 of you isn't well. I understand that they are hoping to be back tomorrow." They were asked to return on Tuesday, November 10, at 10.30am.
On Tuesday, November 10, the court heard extracts from messages between the husband and various contacts. In one exchange from May 2018, the husband described his wife as 'unaware, passed out drunk'. In another, he said he would 'rather awake but would never happen'. The court also heard about communications with David Graves, in which Graves allegedly asked for images and underwear while the husband requested tablets described as 'relaxants'.
On Wednesday, November 11, DS Bolt re-entered the witness box as Ms Oakley KC continued the sequence of events. The jury heard about messages between the husband and 'Contact V' from December 2021, in which the husband said he had 'managed to get zolpadim' and asked about dosage. In another message, he said: "Tried 19mg on top of a bottle of wine. Wasn't enough and also hard to sneak in drink as it made it cloudy and even though well crushed some still settled on bottom of glass."
The court also heard about conversations with Robert Stewart in 2022, including one in April when the husband said: "Well she's had two bottle of wine and sleeping tabs but not sure how much she is out yet." Stewart allegedly replied: "Do a video pushing and pulling her." In another message, the husband said: "Tablets didn't seem to work on her last night sorry." Stewart replied: "No probs."
On Thursday, November 12, the court heard evidence relating to Daniel Rayner and his alleged purchase of a 'sleep serum' from an online company. Mr Rayner was said to have asked how long orders take to arrive and was told seven to 10 business days. He later sent a confirmation of payment, the court heard. In April 2024, Mr Rayner was said to have been in conversation with the husband, saying: "I'd love to give you some of my special serum to see her totally out of it for a while."
The jury was also shown images and videos of Graham Brougham at the couple's home in September 2024, and of Sean Peers, who attended within half an hour of Brougham leaving. The court heard that 10 minutes after Brougham left, the husband called Mr Wild.
The trial did not sit on Friday, November 13, due to issues with the global Microsoft outage. Judge Greene said: "What we are learning is the dangers of our reliability on computer systems and platforms, and so on." He added: "I would say sorry but it's not my fault. It may be Mr Gates' fault but I don't think he is going to come and apologise." The trial was adjourned until 10.30am on Monday, November 16.
