A husband who stands accused of raping and sexually abusing his wife is set to go on trial in England on Tuesday, along with a dozen other men who are alleged to have taken part in or helped facilitate the abuse.
The man, in his 60s and from the town of Stockport in England’s northwest, is accused of conspiring with others to drug and rape his wife while she was unconscious, British police authorities previously said in June. The trial is being held in Manchester.
He cannot be named under U.K. law to protect the anonymity of his wife, the alleged victim.
The man is indicted on 48 charges, according to CBS News partner BBC News. He previously denied all charges, but later pled guilty to 15. Those charges include five counts of rape, three counts of sexual assault, six counts of assault by penetration and one count of sharing intimate photos or film, according to Greater Manchester police officials.
He continues to deny 11 counts of rape, two counts of attempted rape, seven counts of assault by penetration, four counts of sexual assault, four counts of conspiracy to rape, three counts of conspiracy to assault by penetration, one count of conspiracy to administer a substance with intent and one count of administering a substance with intent, according to the U.K’s Crown Prosecution Service.
The other men who will stand trial Tuesday are alleged to have committed a series of crimes ranging from sexually abusing the victim, to helping to administer substances that would render her unconscious and thus facilitating the abuse.
Prosecutors told CBS News Tuesday that the men’s ages range from 28 to 73 years old.
The case has drawn parallels to that of Gisèle Pelicot, the French woman who became a global figure when she publicly testified against her ex-husband and dozens of other men in a mass rape trial in 2024.
Pelicot waived her right to anonymity and insisted court proceedings be made public during the 4-month trial against her ex-husband, Dominique Pelicot, and 51 other men accused of raping her over the course of nearly a decade at his invitation. All the men were found guilty, and Dominique was sentenced to the maximum of 20 years.
