By Ahmed Abdelsalam
A man in his 60s from Stockport, Greater Manchester, drugged and raped his wife for more than two decades and recruited strangers online to sexually abuse her while she was unconscious, a jury at Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court has heard.
Husband Admits Offences, Testifies Against Nine Men
The husband, who cannot be named to protect his wife’s identity, previously admitted multiple offences including rape and administering substances with intent to stupefy her so others could engage in sexual activity. He is now giving evidence as a prosecution witness in the trial of nine men accused of offences related to the abuse.
Online Network and Telegram Chat Group
Prosecutor Louise Oakley KC told the court that from 2023 the husband created a profile on a swingers’ messaging site, explicitly stating his wife would be “out of it.” He invited men to their home where they abused her while she lay unconscious. Police uncovered the operation after undercover journalists infiltrated a Telegram chat group dedicated to sexual interest in unconscious or asleep women. To join, the husband had to provide imagery of sexual offences against his partner.
Defendants and Charges
The nine “contact offenders” accused of visiting the home 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. Two “non-contact offenders,” kitchen firm sales representative David Graves, 60, and self-employed mechanic Daniel Rayner, 42, are charged with conspiring to administer substances. The alleged offences span 2015 to 2025. Four other men have already pleaded guilty to related charges.
Police Discovery and Evidence
Detectives arrested the husband and seized a mobile phone containing more than one million photographs and videos cataloguing the abuse by him and the other men. The court heard that one online contact sent the husband an image of comedian Bill Cosby with the caption “she can’t say no if she’s unconscious.”
