UK Man Pleads Guilty to Drugging and Raping Wife for 20 Years

Key Points

A BRITISH MAN has confessed to drugging and raping his wife for more than two decades. The husband, who is in his sixties, cannot be named to protect his wife’s legal right to anonymity. On Monday, September 14, 2026, at the Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court in United Kingdom, the man pleaded guilty to 60 other offences — including rape, attempted rape, assault by penetration, and administering a substance with intent — he committed against his wife.

The man had initially denied all allegations before pleading guilty on Monday to five counts of rape, six counts of assault by penetration, and three counts of sexual assault. Additionally, he confessed to having taken and shared intimate pictures and videos of his wife without her consent for sexual gratification. The man has now admitted a total of 60 offences.

His wife was present in the courtroom on Monday when the man entered his plea. The woman watched the proceedings from the public gallery with members of her family. The man became visibly emotional as he repeatedly said “guilty” to dozens of charges. At one point, the judge asked him to sit down in the dock. 

Twelve other men, aged between 28 and 74 and from different parts of the United Kingdom, have also been accused of sexual offences against the same woman. They have denied all charges and are slated to stand trial in Manchester in the coming weeks. A 13th man had previously pleaded guilty to sexual offences against the woman.

See also: The Great Silence Surrounding Marital rape in Senegal

Prosecutors are expected to begin presenting their case this week. The husband, who is from the Stockport area of Greater Manchester, will be sentenced for the offences he has admitted after the trial concludes.

In a statement issued by Greater Manchester Police on Monday, Assistant Chief Constable Rick Jackson said that the force’s focus “remains on supporting the victim of this horrific campaign of abuse through what is a very complex investigation.” He added that the woman continues to receive specialist support.

The husband’s alleged offences against his wife, whom he had been married to for decades, date back to 2004. The allegations involving the other men relate to incidents between September 2018 and November 2025.

Marital Rape: International and National Conventions 

The case has been likened to that of Gisèle Pelicot, a French woman who became the victim of a similar fate. In December 2024, Gisèle’s husband, Dominique Pélicot, was convicted and sentenced to 20 years in prison by a French court for drugging his wife and inviting hundreds of strangers to rape her for over a decade. In 2024, she waived her right to anonymity and sat in the courtroom to hear the proceedings for her sexual assault case. 

See also: DELUSIONAL TAKE: “Crores of Men will Become Criminals Overnight if Shashi Tharoor’s Bill on Marital Rape is Passed"-Men’s Right Activist Rahul Easwar

Marital rape in recognized as a criminal offense in over 150 countries. According to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and Equality Now, more than 40 countries still maintain legal exemptions or completely lack legislation to criminalize sexual assault by a spouse. Globally, the World Health Organization (WHO) reports that roughly 1 in 3 women (31.6%) have experienced physical or sexual intimate partner violence in their lifetime. 

International conventions, such as the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) and the Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women (DEVAW) recognizes marital rape as a grave form of gender-based violence and a violation of human rights. 

India stands among the 40 countries that lack a dedicated legal provision criminalizing “marital rape.” The country's domestic penal law — the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) — has exempted marital rape from criminal prosecution. Under BNS, sexual intercourse by a man with his adult wife, who is (aged 18 or above) without her consent is legally exempt from the definition of rape. The current status of criminalization of marital rape in India remains in a limbo, as the judiciary and other stakeholders continue holding deliberation on bringing such a law into effect.

(Edited by Agniva Ray)

Suggested reading: