Stockport husband faces 12-defendant trial in Manchester over decades of alleged abuse
In Manchester’s Minshull Street Crown Court, a Stockport man in his 60s accused of drugging and sexually abusing his wife for more than two decades stands trial alongside 12 co-defendants charged with rape, conspiracy and related offenses; prosecutors allege 48 offenses dating back to 2004. The husband has pleaded guilty to 15 counts (five rape, six assault by penetration, three sexual assaults and one sharing intimate images) and denies the remaining 33. A thirteenth man, Keith Fotheringham, has separately pleaded guilty to related offenses. The 12-week trial, which includes defendants from across the UK, was briefly delayed due to unforeseen circumstances.
