13 MEN CHARGED OVER ABUSE OF WOMAN DRUGGED BY HUSBAND

Thirteen men have been charged in connection with the abuse of a woman allegedly drugged and sexually assaulted by her husband over two decades. The primary defendant, a man in his 60s from the Stockport area of Greater Manchester, stands accused of drugging and sexually assaulting his wife and conspiring with other men to engage in abuse. He has pleaded guilty to 15 charges, including five counts of rape, three sexual assaults, six assaults by penetration and one count of sharing intimate images without consent. He denies a further 33 charges and is due to stand trial in September. His identity cannot be revealed to protect his wife's anonymity.

The co-defendants range in age from 28 to 73 and face charges including conspiracy to rape and conspiracy to assault by penetration. Among them are a paramedic, a football coach and a taxi driver. Some men are alleged to have directly participated in the abuse, whilst others are alleged to have encouraged sexual offences online. At preliminary hearings at Manchester's Minshull Street Crown Court, the men have presented varied appearances in the dock, with some dressed in shirts and ties and others in tracksuits. Keith Fotheringham, a 59-year-old technician at Dundee University, has pleaded guilty to assault by penetration, conspiracy to assault by penetration, conspiracy to rape and conspiracy to administer a substance with intent, and has been remanded into custody pending sentencing.

Jonathan Kirk, a 43-year-old senior paramedic from Stockport, is among those charged. Kirk met Prince Harry during a royal visit to emergency workers in Manchester in 2013 following civil disturbances in the city.