A Manchester court has heard how a man accused of drugging and raping his wife arranged for sedatives to be sent to the home of her deceased mother as part of an alleged scheme to incapacitate her.
The husband, whose identity is protected by law to preserve his wife’s anonymity, allegedly arranged the delivery through co-defendant David Graves, 60, whom he had met online.
Prosecutor Louise Oakley told the trial that Graves offered to send him an unidentified substance in January 2021. The husband reportedly provided his wife’s mother’s address, despite knowing that the woman had recently died and the property was empty.
Oakley told jurors that the tablets did not arrive initially, prompting the husband to accuse Graves of failing to post them.
The prosecution said the tablets eventually arrived in March 2021 but were difficult to crush and tasted bitter when mixed with wine. Graves allegedly suggested hiding them in the woman’s food as an alternative.
Graves, from Ilkeston, Derbyshire, denies conspiracy to rape, assault and administer substances.
Husband Allegedly Began Abuse in 2004
Jurors have heard that the woman’s husband began abusing her in 2004 and started involving other men in 2015.
The alleged abuse continued until journalists infiltrated an online messaging forum in October last year, after which police were contacted.
The husband, who had been married to the woman for 40 years, admitted 62 charges, including multiple rapes, in September, the court was told.
The trial of Graves and eight other men is examining allegations involving several years of abuse and communications between the defendants and the husband.
Prosecutors Describe Online Communications Between Graves and Husband
The court heard that Graves and the husband first made contact in 2018 and subsequently exchanged a large volume of messages.
According to Oakley, Graves repeatedly requested new material and made derogatory comments about the woman, referring to her as a “slut” and an “old tart” and adding that she “deserves it”.
The prosecutor said Graves became increasingly impatient for the husband to send him images of the alleged abuse.
In one exchange, the husband reportedly told Graves that their activities were not his number-one priority.
Another message from October 2018 concerned when the husband had last abused his wife. When Graves asked, the husband replied that he did not keep a diary.
First Alleged Visitor Provided Sleeping Tablets
The prosecution said the first man to visit the couple’s home was co-defendant Robert Stewart, 70, in 2016.
Oakley told the court that Stewart left without carrying out an assault because the woman stirred.
The incident allegedly prompted the husband to seek drugs after deciding that using alcohol alone was unreliable.
Stewart subsequently provided him with tramadol sleeping tablets, the prosecution said.
Oakley described the incident as a blueprint for subsequent offending, despite the dangers associated with combining drugs and alcohol.
Jurors also heard that the husband researched sleeping pills, their side effects and substances associated with drug-facilitated sexual assaults. His online activity allegedly included visiting a website in 2017 that provided instructions for making GHB.
In early 2019, he purchased zolpidem sleeping tablets online, according to the prosecution.
Husband Allegedly Sought Assistance From Multiple Men Online
The court heard that the husband exchanged messages with several men at different times of the day and night.
Oakley told jurors that the communications showed activity extending from late at night into the morning and early afternoon.
The prosecution also said the husband had made clear to other men that his wife would not consent to sexual activity and would not be interested.
In one message to an unidentified individual, he allegedly wrote: “Help me knock her out.”
During Tuesday’s hearing, the court was also told that an anonymous user had sent him an image of US television personality Bill Cosby accompanied by the slogan: “She can’t say no if she’s unconscious.”
Court Hears of Alleged Contact Through Wife-Swapping Website
The prosecution said the husband made contact with another defendant, Philip Wild, through a wife-swapping website called FabSwingers.
Wild, who allegedly used the username Peachy Ass 2, is accused of visiting the couple’s home at approximately 3am on a night in August 2023.
Oakley told the court that Wild allegedly crept upstairs and began assaulting the sleeping woman before she stirred, prompting him to leave.
Wild denies the charges against him, which include sexual assault, attempted rape and assault by penetration.
Telegram Group Allegedly Required Images as Proof of Offending
The court also heard that the husband contacted another defendant, Daniel Rayner, in 2025 through a Telegram group involving sex offenders.
According to Oakley, people seeking to join the group had to convince its administrator that they were genuine and could provide images showing sexual offences against a partner or another woman.
The husband was allegedly required to take photographs and videos of his unconscious wife in particular positions on the bed to demonstrate that he was a real participant and that the material was current.
Rayner reportedly described himself as willing to travel and said he could obtain GHB. However, he is not accused of visiting the husband’s home.
Stewart Allegedly Warned Husband to Delete Images
The prosecution also referred to messages Stewart allegedly sent after his visit to the couple’s home in 2016.
Oakley said Stewart advised the husband to delete images from his phone and warned him about the consequences of being discovered.
One message included the words: “Remember what happened to the guy in France.”
The prosecutor told the court that the reference concerned the case of Gisèle Pelicot, whose husband was convicted of drugging and raping her and arranging for other men to assault her.
Stewart allegedly told the husband to remove him from his phone and his life, warning that discovery could lead to serious consequences for his marriage and personal life.
The court was also told that the husband continued sending images to Stewart even after the pensioner became seriously ill with Covid-19 in 2022.
Nine Men Deny Charges in Manchester Trial
Graves is standing trial alongside eight other men: Jonathan Kirk, 43, a senior paramedic; Stewart, a retired DJ; Mohammed Sabir, 28, a recruitment consultant; Alan Keelan, 42, a youth football coach; Jordan Wallace, 31, a dog walker; Wild, a taxi driver; Richard Townsend, 38, a metal worker; and Rayner, 42.
The defendants deny a range of sexual offences.
Graves, Stewart and Rayner deny conspiracy to administer a substance with the intention of stupefying or overpowering the woman between 2015 and 2025.
Graves and Rayner also deny conspiracy to assault by penetration between 2018 and 2025.
Other allegations include rape, attempted rape, sexual assault and assault by penetration, with the defendants facing different charges relating to incidents between 2023 and 2025.
Four Other Men Have Admitted Sexual Offences
The court has also heard that four additional men charged in connection with the wider case have pleaded guilty to various sexual offences at earlier hearings.
They are Karl Lindsay, 56, a former chief executive of Taunton Town Football Club; Graham Brougham, 74; Keith Fotheringham, 59; and Sean Peers, 38.
Their guilty pleas relate to offences committed between 2023 and 2025, or, in Peers’s case, between September 2024 and November 2025.
The trial of Graves and the eight other defendants is expected to last at least two months and is continuing at Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court.
