A British man in his 60s has pleaded guilty to repeatedly drugging and raping his wife over more than two decades, admitting a total of 60 criminal offences in a case that has exposed years of sexual abuse inside the family home.
The man, who cannot be named because doing so could identify his wife, admitted the offences at Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court as his trial was due to begin.
The crimes took place between 2004 and 2025, with prosecutors saying the woman was repeatedly abused while she was unconscious at the couple’s home.
Husband admits 45 more offences
The man had previously pleaded guilty to 15 offences.
On Monday, he admitted a further 45 charges, bringing the total to 60.
The latest admissions included 21 counts of rape, 15 counts of assault by penetration, 11 counts of sexual assault and an offence involving the administration of a substance to stupefy his wife.
He also admitted offences involving intimate images of the woman.
The guilty pleas mean the planned trial against him will no longer take place.
His wife was present in court and was supported by members of her family as the charges were admitted.
Abuse continued for more than two decades
The offences spanned roughly 21 years, beginning in 2004 and continuing until 2025.
The prosecution said the woman was drugged and sexually abused while unconscious in her own home.
The case came to light as part of a wider investigation into sexual offences committed against the same woman.
Police subsequently identified other men who are alleged to have participated in or facilitated the abuse.
The scale and duration of the investigation have made it one of the most complex sexual-abuse cases handled by Greater Manchester Police.
Twelve other men face charges
Twelve other men, aged between 28 and 74, have been charged with sexual offences involving the same woman.
They deny the allegations.
Their alleged involvement dates from 2018 to 2025, meaning investigators are examining a period during which the abuse allegedly expanded beyond the woman’s husband.
The defendants include men from a range of backgrounds, underlining the breadth of the investigation.
Their cases will be heard separately at Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court, with proceedings expected to last several months.
One other man connected to the investigation has already pleaded guilty to offences.
Police continue supporting the victim
Greater Manchester Police said officers remain committed to supporting the woman throughout the investigation and subsequent court proceedings.
The force has described the case as highly complex because of the length of time involved and the number of people allegedly connected to the abuse.
The woman’s identity is protected for life under British law because she is a victim of sexual offences.
That legal protection is also why the name of her husband cannot be published.
A case highlighting drug-facilitated sexual abuse
The case has renewed attention on the use of drugs and other substances to facilitate sexual violence.
Drugging a person so they are unconscious or incapable of consenting can make it particularly difficult for victims to understand what happened to them, remember individual incidents or seek help.
The fact that the alleged abuse occurred within a marriage also highlights that a relationship does not establish permanent consent.
British law has recognised rape within marriage as a criminal offence since a landmark 1991 House of Lords ruling, which rejected the former legal fiction that marriage prevented a husband from being convicted of raping his wife.
Wider investigation remains underway
The guilty pleas resolve the case against the woman’s husband, but they do not end the broader investigation.
The other defendants continue to face allegations that they sexually abused the woman or were involved in facilitating the offences.
Their cases will require prosecutors to establish the allegations against each individual separately.
The proceedings are expected to provide further details about how the alleged abuse continued for years and how investigators uncovered the wider network surrounding it.
For the victim, however, the husband’s guilty pleas represent a major development after years of alleged abuse.
A case that began with allegations against one husband has now grown into a sprawling criminal investigation involving multiple defendants and more than two decades of alleged sexual violence.
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