UK court hears of 1 million abuse images in wife rape case

A Manchester court heard on Monday that a man who drugged and raped his wife had more than one million photographs and videos on his phone cataloguing abuse.

The court is trying nine men accused of various sexual offences against the woman, who was abused by her husband. The husband, a man in his 60s, cannot be named in order to protect the victim's identity.

Prosecutor Louise Oakley told the court that the husband filmed and shared images of the abuse on the internet and social media applications with "other like-minded men". She said some defendants conspired with him over the years to administer substances to the woman so she could be abused.

Oakley said the husband began inviting men to the couple's home in 2023 and filmed himself and others raping the woman while she was unconscious. She told the jury that the phone seized after his arrest was like a "confession booth" and contained material going back to 2004.

The husband pleaded guilty in September to about 60 sexual offences against his wife, including administering a substance with intent to stupefy or overpower her. He and 13 other men are accused of conspiring to abuse the woman. Four of those men have pleaded guilty to various offences.

The remaining nine men, aged between 28 and 70, deny charges including rape, sexual assault and conspiracy to administer a substance with intent.