Warning: This article contains distressing content
A woman who was drugged and raped by her husband for 20 years was first told she may have been the victim of sexual offences shortly after his arrest, a court has heard.
Prosecutors said a knock on the door of the couple’s home in Stockport, Greater Manchester, in October 2025 was the moment “the life she knew ended”.
The husband, who has pleaded guilty to rape, was arrested after an international investigation was prompted by undercover journalists in Germany infiltrating a Telegram group used by people interested in sex with someone who was asleep or unconscious.
The investigation identified the husband, who was in his 60s, as a user who had shared images showing the sexual abuse of his wife.
Nine men are on trial at Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court accused of various offences involving the woman’s abuse.
Her husband, who cannot be identified in order to protect her anonymity, pleaded guilty in September to multiple offences dating back to 2004, including rape and administering a substance with intent. He is expected to give evidence against the defendants.
The court heard Greater Manchester Police officers attended the couple’s home as part of the investigation and the husband was arrested within minutes.
Det Cons Lauren Snook explained to the court she told the wife “about why we were there and disclosed an agreed amount of information – informing her we believed she had been the victim of sexual offences without her knowledge or consent”.