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Nine men accused of taking part in or facilitating the sexual abuse of a woman whose husband drugged and assaulted her for more than two decades appeared in court Monday as their trial began in Manchester, England, CNN reported.
Prosecutors said the defendants met the woman’s husband, a man in his 60s from Stockport in northern England, through online groups or a swinging website after he shared images of her abuse.
“From 2023 onwards … he began actually inviting other men round to their home, and, whilst his wife lay unconscious in their bed, he filmed himself and others raping and sexually abusing her,” prosecutors told the court.
In one text exchange, a co-defendant reportedly expressed concern and warned the husband about “what happened to the guy in France”. The reference was to Dominique Pelicot, who, along with dozens of other men, was found guilty of raping or sexually assaulting his former wife, Gisèle, in a case that shocked France and prompted a cultural reckoning.
The husband pleaded guilty in September to multiple offences against his wife, including rape, sexual assault and administering a substance with intent to stupefy or overpower her. He cannot be named to protect his wife’s privacy, remains in custody and will be sentenced later.
The nine men on trial deny all charges. Four other co-defendants have already pleaded guilty to sexual offences.
Prosecutors said the husband abused his wife for more than 20 years, initially taking advantage of times when she had drunk enough to fall into a deep sleep. He later used a “cocktail of stupefying drugs” to ensure she would not wake during the abuse.
He shared video and photographs with other men online who, prosecutors said, “enjoyed the fact that the (victim) was asleep or unconscious, entirely unaware of what was being done to her”.
The court heard that the couple had been in a relationship for 44 years and had two children together.
Seven of the nine defendants are accused of visiting the woman’s home. Prosecutors argued that they knew she was not a willing participant and was not consenting, and that they could not reasonably believe she was consenting.
Prosecutors said the defendants had different levels of knowledge. Some knew other men were involved, while others may not have; some may have known only that the woman was incapacitated by alcohol, rather than drugged. They said the differing circumstances were reflected in the charges.
The abuse came to light after undercover journalists infiltrated an online group where a user claimed to have drugged his wife and invited strangers to rape her while she was unconscious and unaware, prosecutors said.
Police identified the user and obtained a warrant to search his home. They seized various items, including a “Samsung Galaxy” phone containing more than a million photographs and videos documenting the abuse, prosecutors said.
According to prosecutors, the woman said she had never met any of the defendants and had not knowingly had sexual contact with them.
She learned of the abuse only when police came to the house one afternoon in October 2025, prosecutors said, adding that the “life she knew ended”.
