From the Guardian · · 1m 20s
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.
In brief
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 marriage for decades, and police say victims do not need proof or clear memory to be believed. Originally reported by the Guardian.
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.”
In short
Drug-facilitated abuse can hide inside a marriage for decades, and police say victims do not need proof or clear memory to be believed.
