A husband who subjected his wife to a 20-year campaign of abuse, including drugging and rape, shared images and messages about the assaults with men internationally, Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court heard.
Prosecutor Louise Oakley, KC, detailed how the husband, who has admitted 62 offenses including numerous rapes, communicated with men via adult websites. In October 2019, he messaged a man located in Texas, and two years later, another man stated he was in Hawaii. The husband "was communicating with individuals in the UK and abroad," Oakley told the jury.
Jurors heard that in May 2018, the husband sent one unidentified man a video of his wife appearing to be sexually assaulted while her eyes were closed. The following month, the husband allegedly discussed sexually abusing his wife with another man, who suggested she be "pill[ed] up hard." The husband then sent a series of 16 images over 17 minutes, which have not been recovered.
Online Discussions and Accusations
The court heard that in September 2018, the husband began communicating with David Graves, 60, who denies three charges. Graves allegedly offered to supply the husband with "tablets – relaxants" to make the wife "pass out." Their online contact resumed in 2021, with discussions about Graves supplying tablets for the wife. The husband provided his late mother-in-law's address for the drugs to be posted.
Messages were read in which Graves and the husband discussed the use of these tablets. Graves allegedly inquired if the tablets had been used, to which the husband replied they were not a "No1 priority" due to it being Easter. Graves responded, "Sad." The pair also discussed crushing the tablets to be mixed into food or wine, though the husband claimed his wife objected to the taste when it was added to a curry.
The husband also shared a photo of his wife on the encrypted platform Telegram, prompting a man identified as 'Contact Y' to ask if she was asleep or drugged. Contact Y reportedly offered the husband membership to a Telegram group for $50, payable in Bitcoin. The husband subsequently posted another photo of his wife on Telegram, leading to a response from a man in the USA who suggested the husband and wife join him in Hawaii for "some fun."
Police found a pipette in a bedside drawer at the couple's home after the husband purchased tranquilisers online. The receipt for £49.94 was presented as evidence. One contact recommended using an "eye dropper" for administering the drug.
Defendants on Trial
Nine men are currently on trial, facing a variety of sexual offense charges. These include David Graves, 60; Jonathan Kirk, 43; Robert Stewart, 70; Mohammed Sabir, 29; Alan Keelan, 42; Jordan Wallace, 31; Philip Wild, 58; Richard Townsend, 38; and Daniel Rayner, 42. All deny the charges against them.
Four other men – Karl Lindsay, 56; Graham Brougham, 74; Keith Fotheringham, 59; and Sean Peers, 38 – have pleaded guilty to various sexual offenses in earlier hearings. The trial is expected to continue for at least two months.