Man admits sexually assaulting woman drugged by husband

Man admits sexual assault of woman subjected to prolonged abuse

Ninoda.com – A Stockport man has pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting a woman who was unconscious after being drugged by her husband, as proceedings continue against 11 other defendants accused of abusing her.

Sean Peers, 38, admitted one count of assault by penetration at Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court on 15 September 2024. He had been expected to face trial but entered a guilty plea before the case against the remaining defendants begins.

The woman’s husband, whose identity cannot be published because of his wife’s legal right to anonymity, has already admitted 60 offences committed against her. He is accused of drugging and raping her without her knowledge over a period of more than two decades.

He is also accused of arranging for 13 other men to abuse her at the family home in the Stockport area of Greater Manchester. The allegations involving the other men concern a period running from 2018 until November 2025.

Further admissions by husband

The husband has now also pleaded guilty to an additional rape charge and one count of sexual assault. Those offences were committed during the summer before the hearing.

He has been remanded in custody and will be sentenced once the trial concerning the other defendants has concluded. Although he remains central to the case, he is no longer a defendant in that trial following his guilty pleas.

Peers has been granted conditional bail until sentencing. His sentence will also be dealt with after the remaining proceedings are over.

Another man, Keith Fotheringham, 59, from Dundee, has previously admitted several offences connected with the case.

Eleven men deny allegations

The 11 defendants still due to stand trial have each denied allegations that they abused the same woman. They are Philip Wild, 58, of Stockport; Jordan Wallace, 31, of Manchester; Alan Keelan, 42, of Manchester; Jonathan Kirk, 43, of Stockport; Robert Stewart, 70, of Stockport; Mohammed Sabir, 28, of no fixed abode; Graham Brougham, 74, of Northwich, Cheshire; Richard Townsend, 37, of Rochdale; Karl Lindsay, 55, of Taunton, Somerset; Daniel Rayner, 42, of Whitstable, Kent; and David Graves, 59, of Ilkeston, Derbyshire.

The defendants are entitled to a fair trial, and the allegations against them have not been proved. The jury will be asked to assess the evidence presented during the case.

Trial delayed while lawyers review statement

A jury was selected in early September, made up of nine women and three men, with two female reserve jurors. The trial has since been delayed for a combination of legal and practical reasons.

Jurors were told on Tuesday that the husband had given a lengthy witness statement setting out his account after entering his guilty pleas. The document has been provided to lawyers representing the remaining defendants.

“That statement is a long statement and that has been disclosed to all defence counsel and it contains a lot of detail.”

Judge Maurice Greene said the statement included substantial supporting material and required careful consideration by the legal teams.

“Lots of pages and lots of documents” were being examined by lawyers, Judge Greene said.

The jury has been instructed to return on Monday 19 October, when the prosecution case against the 11 men is scheduled to open.

Why anonymity remains in place

In England and Wales, complainants in sexual offence cases have lifelong legal anonymity. That protection applies regardless of whether a case ends in conviction, acquittal, guilty plea, or discontinuance. It is intended to safeguard privacy and reduce barriers that can prevent victims from coming forward.

For that reason, the husband has not been named where doing so could identify his wife. Reporting restrictions also limit the detail that can be published about the family, their home, and circumstances that might reveal her identity.

The case involves grave allegations spanning many years, alongside admissions already made by several people connected to the proceedings. However, the forthcoming trial will focus on the individual accusations faced by the remaining defendants and the evidence relevant to each of them.

Sentencing for Peers and the woman’s husband will take place only after that process is complete, allowing the court to consider the wider outcome of the case.