The key facts

  • Graham Brewam, 74, pleaded guilty to raping a woman whose husband drugged and abused her for more than 20 years
  • The husband, who cannot be named to protect the wife's anonymity, has admitted 62 offences
  • The trial of the ten remaining defendants has been adjourned until 2 November

Guilty plea at Manchester court

Graham Brewam, a 74-year-old resident of Northwich, pleaded guilty to raping a woman in September 2024. He became the oldest of 13 men charged with sexual offences against the victim, who, according to the investigation, was brought to her home by her husband in the Stockport area of Greater Manchester. The victim was present in the courtroom of Manchester Crown Court on Minshull Street and held a relative's hand as Brewam answered 'guilty'.

Judge's words and defendant's status

Judge Maurice Greene warned Brewam that he 'should be under no illusions: the sentence will be one of imprisonment, and for a long term'. Despite the guilty plea, Brewam was released on conditional bail; he will be sentenced after the proceedings against his co-defendants are completed.

The victim's husband and other guilty pleas

The victim's husband, who cannot be named to protect her anonymity, is in custody and has admitted 62 offences against his wife, including rape. After his plea, he gave sworn testimony which, in his words, described in detail what had happened; the judge noted that it is a lengthy document with a large number of pages and materials, which has been provided to all defence counsel and is being carefully studied. Earlier, Keith Fotheringham, 59, from Dundee (Scotland), and Sean Pearce, 38, from Stockport, who admitted sexual assault earlier this month, also pleaded guilty.

Adjourned trial and remaining defendants

The trial of ten other defendants has been adjourned until 2 November for legal and practical reasons. All of them are charged with offences against the same victim between 2015 and November 2025. The defendants are: Philip Wilde, 58, Stockport; Jordan Wallace, 31, Manchester; Alan Keelan, 42, Manchester; Jonathan Kirk, 43, Stockport; Robert Stewart, 70, Stockport; Mohammed Sabir, 28, of no fixed address; Richard Townsend, 37, Rochdale; Karl Lindsay, 55, Taunton, Somerset; Daniel Reiner, 42, Whitstable, Kent; David Graves, 59, Ilkeston, Derbyshire. Wallace, Keelan and Kirk deny the charges against them, as do the remaining seven, who are due to stand trial next month.

A man in his 70s, with white hair and wearing a light grey shirt with a blue tie, looks past the camera with a blank expression. Image source, Reuters
Image caption,

The victim looked on from the public gallery as Graham Brougham, 74, changed his plea to guilty

A man in his 70s with white hair, wearing a black coat, walks away from a court building with a camera crew filming him as he passes.
Image caption,

Graham Brougham leaving court after admitting his guilt

A man in his 30s, with a large beard, grey wool hat and blue bubble coat, stands outside a stone building holding a black vape to his mouth.Image source, PA Media
Image caption,

Sean Peers, 38, changed his plea to guilty and admitted sexually assaulting the woman earlier this month

A composite image of three of the defendants - one is bald with an earring and has a big beard, the other is in a green uniform with brown hair and the oter is in a black zip up top with curly hair, a beard and earrings
Image caption,

Alan Keelan, Jonathan Kirk and Jordan Wallace deny the charges against them and, along with seven others, will go on trial next month