A man has appeared in court after conspiring with others to drug his wife and rape her while she was unconscious.
The 60-year-old, from the Stockport area of Greater Manchester, also faces charges of raping and sexually assaulting his wife over a 20-year period.
He was arrested last year and pleaded not guilty to 48 separate charges, including multiple rapes and sexual assaults, at Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court on Friday.
He appeared in the dock alongside 12 men aged between 28 and 73, five of whom were from Stockport, three from other parts of Greater Manchester, one from Cheshire and three from other parts of the UK.
They face a variety of charges, including conspiracy to commit rape, conspiracy to commit assault by trespass, rape and sexual assault.
A man in his 50s from Dundee pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit rape, assault by trespass and conspiracy to supply a substance with intent. He will be sentenced at a later date.
Six of his co-defendants denied the charges against them, while five were not asked to enter pleas until a later date.
Five men stood in the dock, while eight, including the husband, appeared on videolink from prison, where they remain in remand.
The courtroom was packed with relatives of the victim and families of the accused in the public gallery.
The men, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, will appear in the same court in September.
