Trial begins for nine accused of abusing drugged, raped woman alongside her husband
Trial opens in Manchester
The nine defendants are accused of involvement in the abuse of a woman at her home in Stockport, Greater Manchester. Prosecutors say the alleged conduct took place from 2015 until the husband’s arrest in 2025.
The husband cannot be named to protect the woman. He has already pleaded guilty to a number of offences committed at the couple’s home.
Prosecution describes alleged abuse
Opening the case, prosecutor Louise Oakley KC told the court that the husband had sexually abused his wife for more than 20 years while she was asleep or unconscious. She said he began inviting other men to the home by 2023 at the latest, although he had discussed doing so earlier.
Oakley said the men were alleged to have raped and sexually abused the unconscious woman, with some visiting the home and others using phones or computers. She told the court the conduct was rape and sexual assault, not consensual sexual activity.
Phone evidence and earlier admissions
The prosecution said a mobile phone contained more than a million photographs and videos, including material from other devices and cameras. Oakley said the recordings documented abuse by the husband and other men, including defendants in court.
Three men—Sean Peers, 38, of Stockport; Keith Fotheringham, 59, of Dundee; and Graham Brougham, 74, of Northwich, Cheshire—have admitted abusing the woman at earlier hearings. A relative of the woman cried in court as the prosecution presented its case, and two companions comforted them.
Key points
- Nine men are on trial over alleged abuse at a Stockport home.
- The alleged offences involving the defendants date from 2015 to 2025.
- The husband has pleaded guilty to several offences against his wife.
- Three other men have admitted abusing the woman in earlier hearings.