Court lifts anonymity, names 13 men in drug-assault case

The identities of 13 men charged in connection with an alleged plot to drug and assault a man's wife have been revealed after a court lifted reporting restrictions. The husband, a man in his 60s from Stockport, Greater Manchester, who cannot be named to protect his wife's anonymity, faces a total of 48 charges and is scheduled to stand trial in September alongside most of the other defendants.

The husband has pleaded guilty to 15 charges, including five counts of assault, six counts of assault by penetration, three counts of sexual assault, and one count of sharing intimate images without consent. These offences occurred on various dates between 2022 and 2025. He denies 33 other charges, including allegations that he drugged his wife to facilitate sexual activity between 2004 and 2025 and conspired with others to drug and assault her between 2018 and 2025.

Of the 13 other men, only one, Keith Fotheringham, 59, from Dundee, has pleaded guilty. In February, Fotheringham admitted to charges including assault by penetration, conspiracy to assault, and conspiracy to administer a substance with intent. He will be sentenced at a later date.

The remaining 12 defendants, who range in age...