A British man has pleaded guilty to repeatedly drugging and sexually assaulting his wife at their home over more than two decades, admitting the offences shortly before his trial was due to begin.
The man, who is in his 60s and from northern England, pleaded guilty on Monday at Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court to 45 charges. He had previously admitted 15 other offences.
He cannot be named because doing so could identify his wife, who is entitled to lifelong anonymity.
The offences occurred between 2004 and 2025 and include 21 counts of rape, 15 counts of assault by penetration, 11 counts of sexual assault and one count of sharing intimate images without consent.
He also admitted administering a substance to his wife for the purpose of stupefying her.
Prosecutors said the woman was repeatedly drugged by her husband and sexually assaulted while unconscious in their home.
The case came to court after years of alleged abuse, with prosecutors detailing a pattern in which the woman was rendered incapable of resisting before the assaults took place.
The case also involves 12 other men, aged between 28 and 74, who are accused of sexually abusing the woman between 2018 and 2025.
The allegations against the men include rape and other sexual offences. They have all denied the charges.
Their trial is scheduled to take place at Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court and is expected to last several months.
The husband’s guilty pleas mean his role in the long-running abuse will not be contested at trial, while proceedings against the other defendants will continue.
