Trial begins for nine men accused of abusing woman drugged and raped by her husband

Nine men have gone on trial in Manchester accused of raping and sexually assaulting a woman whose husband drugged her for over two decades.

• The trial of the nine men, who deny all charges, opened at Minshull Street Crown Court.
• Prosecutor Louise Oakley KC said the husband drugged his wife to keep her unconscious and, from at least 2023, invited other men to their Stockport home to abuse her.
• The husband has pleaded guilty to 62 offences including rape and administering a substance with intent; four other men also admitted offences.
• Oakley said undercover journalists infiltrated a Telegram channel in October 2025, after which the husband was arrested and his phone seized.
• The husband shared images of the abuse on a swinging website and in online groups, prosecutors said.
• He pleaded guilty in September and cannot be named to protect his wife's privacy.
• One co-defendant referenced the Dominique Pelicot scandal in a text exchange, the court heard.