Another man admits raping woman drugged and abused by husband

Another man has pleaded guilty to raping a woman who was drugged and abused by her husband without her knowledge for over 20 years.

Graham Brougham, 74, is the oldest of 13 men who were charged with sexual offences against the victim after being allegedly invited into her home, in the Stockport area of Greater Manchester, to abuse her by her husband.

The husband, in his sixties, has already admitted 62 offences against his wife - including rape - and has given a witness statement detailing "what he says happened".

Brougham, from Northwich, was told by a judge at Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court that he "should be under no illusion his sentence will be custody and a long time in custody."

The victim, who held hands with a family member, watched on from the public gallery as Brougham answered "guilty" in the dock to a charge of raping her in September 2024.

The husband, who remains in custody, cannot be identified to protect the anonymity of his wife.

Two other men, 59-year-old Keith Fotheringham from Dundee, Scotland; and Sean Peers, 38, from Stockport, had already admitted sexually abusing her at previous hearings.

The trial of 10 other defendants accused of sexual offences against the victim has been delayed until 2 November for legal and practical reasons.

They are all alleged to have committed offences against the same victim between 2015 and November 2025.

Brougham was released on conditional bail and will be sentenced at the conclusion of the trial of his co-defendants.

Earlier this month, the nine women and three men of the jury, plus two female reserve jurors, were told that the husband had provided a witness statement detailing "what it is he says happened" after his guilty pleas.

Judge Maurice Greene said: "That statement is a long statement and that has been disclosed to all defence counsel and it contains a lot of detail."

The judge said the statement contained "lots of pages and lots of documents" and that lawyers in the case were "going through it carefully", which was ongoing work.

Karl Lindsay, 55, Taunton, from Somerset

Daniel Rayner, 42, from Whitstable, Kent

David Graves, 59, from Ilkeston, Derbyshire