# A 20-year secret ends in 60 guilty pleas

> A man in his 60s admitted drugging and raping his wife across two decades, with 21 rape counts among 60 offences.
- Title: A 20-year secret ends in 60 guilty pleas · the Guardian
- Summary: A man in his 60s admitted drugging and raping his wife across two decades, with 21 rape counts among 60 offences. Drug-facilitated abuse can hide inside a…
- Keywords: crime, uk news, courts, sexual violence, manchester, news, world, 20-year, secret, ends, guilty, pleas
- Source: the Guardian — https://theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/sep/14/british-man-accused-of-drugging-and-raping-wife-over-two-decades-admits-all-offences
- Published: 2026-09-14T18:07:55+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: crime, uk news, courts, sexual violence, manchester, news, world
## Sixty offences, one victim
A British man pleaded guilty to drugging and sexually assaulting his wife over 20 years. The charges total 60 counts, including 21 counts of rape.
## He cannot be named
The man is in his 60s and lived in Stockport, Greater Manchester, before his arrest. Reporting restrictions keep him anonymous to protect the identity of his wife.
## Images shared without consent
Among the admitted charges is sharing intimate photographs and film of his wife without her consent, for sexual gratification. He had pleaded guilty to that earlier.
## The pleas came in two parts
In June he admitted 15 of the charges. On Monday at Manchester's Minshull Street crown court he admitted the final 45.
## His wife watched from row one
His estranged wife sat in the front row of a packed courtroom with other family members, sobbing at points as he entered his pleas.
## Twelve others deny the claims
Twelve co-defendants deny various allegations involving the same woman. Greater Manchester police call it a complex investigation with specialist support for the victim.

> You do not need proof, certainty, or a clear memory to be taken seriously.
## Key takeaway

Drug-facilitated abuse can hide inside a marriage for decades, and police say victims do not need proof or clear memory to be believed.