The identities of 13 men charged alongside a husband accused of drugging and raping his unconscious wife can finally be revealed, after reporting restrictions were lifted at Manchester's Minshull Street Crown Court. The husband, in his sixties and from the Stockport area, cannot be named to protect his wife's anonymity. He initially denied all 48 counts but later pleaded guilty to five rapes, six assaults by penetration, three sexual assaults, and sharing intimate images without consent between 2022 and 2025. He denies a further 33 charges, including 11 counts of rape, and faces trial in September.
Among the co-defendants is Jonathan Kirk, 43, a senior paramedic from Stockport who once met Prince Harry in 2013 after Manchester riots. Kirk has denied one charge of conspiracy to rape, one of conspiracy to assault by penetration, and one of rape. Karl Lindsay, 55, the former chief executive of Taunton Town Football Club, stepped down in November 2025; the club said it has no ongoing association with him and expects the highest conduct. Lindsay denies conspiracy to rape, conspiracy to assault by penetration, and conspiracy to administer a substance with intent.
“13 men, including a paramedic and a football club chief, named in plot to drug and rape a woman.”
Keith Fotheringham, 59, from Dundee, a university technician, has already pleaded guilty to assault by penetration, conspiracy to rape, conspiracy to assault by penetration, and conspiracy to administer a substance with intent. He was remanded into custody and will be sentenced later.
The other defendants range in age from 28 to 73. They include Graham Brougham, 73, a retired man from Northwich, Cheshire, who denies rape, conspiracy to rape, and conspiracy to assault by penetration; Philip Wild, 58, a taxi driver from Stockport, who denies attempted rape, assault by penetration, sexual assault, conspiracy to rape, and conspiracy to assault by penetration; and Mohammed Sabir, 28, also from Stockport, who denies three counts of rape, conspiracy to rape, and conspiracy to assault by penetration.
Sean Peers, 37, of Stockport, denies assault by penetration and conspiracy to assault by penetration. Jordan Wallace, 31, of Wythenshawe, denies rape, attempted rape, and conspiracy to rape. Alan Keelan, 42, of Wythenshawe, and Robert Stewart, 70, of Stockport, both deny two counts of rape and conspiracy to rape. Richard Townsend, 37, of Heywood, denies assault by penetration and conspiracy to assault by penetration.
David Graves, 59, from Ilkeston, Derbyshire, Daniel Rayner, 42, from Whitstable, Kent, and Karl Lindsay each deny conspiracy to rape, conspiracy to assault by penetration, and conspiracy to administer a substance with intent.
The husband is accused of drugging and sexually abusing his wife over 20 years, allegedly using substances to render her unconscious at their Stockport home and conspiring with others online. The trial is set for 1 September at Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court.