A British man in his 60s has pleaded guilty to charges that he drugged and raped his wife in a 20-year campaign of abuse, the police said on Monday. A dozen other men have been accused of conspiring with the man to abuse his wife.
The name of the man, who is from Stockport, near Manchester, in northern England, has not been released to protect the identity of his wife, the Greater Manchester Police said in a statement.
The man, who had previously pleaded guilty to 15 charges, pleaded guilty to 45 additional counts, the police said on Monday. The charges include 16 counts of rape, seven counts of sexual assault, one count of administering a substance with intent, and one count of sharing intimate photos or film, the police said.
The British police arrested the man last year.
A judge has not confirmed when the man will be sentenced, though it was possible that he would be sentenced at the end of the trial for the other men accused of taking part in the abuse, the Crown Prosecution Service said.
Twelve other men, who range in age from 29 to 74, have also been charged in connection with the abuse. Nine of them were charged with the woman’s rape or sexual assault, and all of them with taking part in a conspiracy to abuse or rape her between 2023 and 2025.
Prosecutors said a 13th man, Keith Fotheringham, of Dundee, Scotland, had pleaded guilty to conspiring to rape and drug the woman without her consent.
“Our focus remains on supporting the victim of this horrific campaign of abuse through what is a very complex investigation,” Rick Jackson, the assistant chief constable of the Greater Manchester Police, said in the statement. “Specialist support continues to be provided to the victim at the center of this case.”
In 2024, Gisèle Pelicot became a feminist hero in France when she waived her right to anonymity to make public the trial of her former husband, Dominique Pelicot, and the 50 men accused of having joined him in raping her for nearly a decade.
Mr. Pelicot, who admitted to drugging and raping Ms. Pelicot, was convicted of aggravated rape and other charges and sentenced to 20 years in prison, the maximum penalty. The other 50 men received sentences ranging from three to 15 years in prison.
In response to the rape case in England, Chief Jackson urged victims who believe they may have been drugged and raped to report the crime to the police.
“If you are concerned you or someone you know may be affected by drug-facilitated sexual abuse, please know that you do not need proof, certainty or a clear memory to be taken seriously,” he said. “You are not expected to understand exactly what has happened or who was involved in order to be taken seriously.”
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