Man Admits Sexually Assaulting Woman Who Had Been Drugged by Her Husband

A man has admitted sexually assaulting a woman while she was unconscious after she had been drugged and abused by her husband without her knowledge.

Sean Peers, 38, from Stockport, pleaded guilty to one count of assault by penetration at Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court.

The offence took place in September 2024.

Peers was due to stand trial but changed his plea before the case against a number of other defendants is due to proceed.

Wider investigation into alleged abuse

The case forms part of a wider investigation into the long-term abuse of the woman.

Her husband, who cannot be named because of his wife's legal right to anonymity, has admitted 60 offences against her.

He has also pleaded guilty to a further charge of rape and one count of sexual assault relating to offences alleged to have taken place last summer.

The husband is accused of arranging for other men to sexually abuse his wife at the family home in the Stockport area.

He is no longer facing trial as a defendant following his guilty pleas and remains in custody.

He is due to be sentenced at the conclusion of the wider proceedings.

Other man has also pleaded guilty

Another defendant, Keith Fotheringham, 59, from Dundee, has previously pleaded guilty to a number of offences connected with the case.

A further 11 men have denied allegations that they sexually abused the same woman between 2018 and November 2025.

Their cases are due to be heard before a jury at Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court.

The defendants who continue to face trial are:

• Philip Wild, 58, from Stockport

• Jordan Wallace, 31, from Manchester

• Alan Keelan, 42, from Manchester

• Jonathan Kirk, 43, from Stockport

• Robert Stewart, 70, from Stockport

• Mohammed Sabir, 28, of no fixed abode

• Graham Brougham, 74, from Northwich

• Richard Townsend, 37, from Rochdale

• Karl Lindsay, 55, from Taunton

• Daniel Rayner, 42, from Whitstable

• David Graves, 59, from Ilkeston

The allegations against those defendants remain matters for the court to determine.

Trial delayed as lawyers examine evidence

A jury was sworn in during September, but the proceedings have faced a number of delays as lawyers deal with legal and practical issues.

Following the husband's guilty pleas, he provided a witness statement setting out his account of what happened.

Judge Maurice Greene told the jury that the statement was lengthy and contained a significant amount of detail and supporting documentation.

Defence lawyers have been examining the material before the trial resumes.

The jury has been asked to return on 19 October, when the prosecution is scheduled to begin presenting its case against the remaining defendants.

Peers granted bail until sentencing

Peers was granted conditional bail following his guilty plea.

He will be sentenced once the trial involving the remaining defendants has concluded.

His admission means the court has established his responsibility for the offence to which he pleaded guilty, while the allegations against the other defendants remain unproven.

The case is continuing.

The woman at the centre of the investigation has legal anonymity, and her identity cannot be published.