A court in Manchester heard that a British man accused of drugging and raping his wife over more than 20 years had more than one million photographs and videos documenting the alleged abuse on his phone. The material reportedly included images of offences allegedly committed by other men, several of whom are now facing trial.
The husband, who is in his sixties and cannot be named to protect the victim’s identity, allegedly filmed and shared the images online and through social media with other men. Prosecutor Louise Oakley told the court that some defendants allegedly communicated with him anonymously and helped arrange the administration of substances to his wife so she could be abused.
From 2023, the prosecution alleges, the man began inviting other men to the marital home. He allegedly recorded himself and others raping his wife while she was unconscious.
The phone, seized after the man’s arrest, was described by the prosecutor as containing material dating back to 2004 and reflecting what she called a hidden double life. The husband pleaded guilty in September to around 60 sexual offences against his wife, including administering a substance intended to impair or control her.
He is accused alongside 13 other men. Four of those men have also pleaded guilty to various offences, while the nine defendants currently on trial, aged between 28 and 70, deny charges including rape, sexual assault and conspiracy to administer a substance with intent to incapacitate or control.
The defendants include a doctor, a taxi driver, a recruitment agency employee and an employee of a building materials supplier. The Manchester proceedings are the second trial of this kind currently taking place in the United Kingdom; the trial of four other men began in Winchester the previous week.
Sources: Le Figaro.