MAN ADMITS 60 SEX OFFENCES AGAINST WIFE OVER 20 YEARS

A man has admitted 60 offences against his wife, including drugging and raping her without her knowledge over more than two decades, Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court heard. The man cannot be named in order to protect his wife's legal right to anonymity. He had already pleaded guilty to some counts, including rape, before Sunday's hearing. He is due to be sentenced once the wider trial concludes. His wife watched the proceedings from the public gallery, supported by members of her family.

The charges he admitted include multiple counts of rape, assault by penetration and administering a substance with intent, according to the court. He became visibly emotional as he repeated the word "guilty" to dozens of charges, and at one point the judge invited him to sit down in the dock. The man is from Stockport, Greater Manchester, and is in his sixties. The court proceedings form part of a wider case involving allegations against multiple men.

Twelve other men deny multiple serious sexual offences against the same woman, according to the court. A 13th man has already admitted sexual offences against her, the court heard. The trial against the men who deny the charges is continuing, and the husband will be sentenced for the counts he has admitted once it concludes. Further details of the case are expected to be reported as proceedings continue.