Jurors in the trial of nine men accused of sexual offences linked to a woman drugged and raped by her husband were sent home early on November 13 after the Microsoft global outage caused delays at Minshull Street Crown Court.
The trial, now on day 10, involves a husband in his 60s from Stockport who has pleaded guilty to 60 charges, including rape and administering substances with intent to stupefy his wife so other men could engage in sexual activity with her.
Judge explains outage impact
Judge Maurice Greene told jurors the court would not sit due to the Microsoft outages. He said: “What we are learning is the dangers of our reliability on computer systems and platforms, and so on.”
He added: “Many institutions rely on Microsoft 365 as do the court and various institutions connected to the court, so there have all been sort of delays because of this. 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.”
Allegations against defendants
Prosecutors allege the husband invited men to the couple's home to sexually abuse his wife while she was unconscious after being drugged. Seven defendants are described as 'contact offenders', who visited the home expecting her to be 'wasted' and 'out of it'.
The 'contact offenders' 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 'non-contact' offenders, who allegedly 'hid behind a screen' as they conspired to administer substances, are kitchen firm sales rep David Graves, 60, and self-employed mechanic Daniel Rayner, 42.
Investigation and evidence
The husband was arrested in October 2025 after undercover journalists in Germany infiltrated a Telegram chat group for people interested in sex with someone asleep or unconscious. A phone seized from his home was found to contain a million photographs and videos said to have catalogued the abuse.
Prosecutors compared the phone to a 'confession booth' containing the husband's 'darkest secrets'. His internet browsing history between 2014 and 2025 revealed extensive searches for medication and drugs, and from 2023 he allegedly began inviting other men to the home. The husband will be sentenced at a later date.
All nine defendants deny the charges. Four other men—Keith Fotheringham, Karl Lindsay, Sean Peers, and Graham Brougham—pleaded guilty at earlier hearings to various offences linked to the case. The trial continues.
