U.K. man guilty of 32 sexual offences on sleeping or drugged partner

General view of the outside of the Central Criminal Court. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali, File)

Warning: Graphic content

LONDON - A U.K. man pleaded guilty on Tuesday to 32 sexual offences against his girlfriend while she was allegedly drugged or asleep over a period of more than a decade.

It is the latest case in the U.K. and elsewhere to resemble the recent trial in France of Dominique Pelicot, who drugged and raped his then-wife Gisele for nearly a decade alongside strangers.

The U.K. man in his 40s cannot be named to protect the identity of his girlfriend, who has lifelong anonymity as a victim of sexual offences.

A judge in Northampton, central England, told him he faced a possible life sentence.

He faced charges of rape, sexual assault and assault by penetration against his girlfriend when she was allegedly drugged or asleep, and recorded some of the offences.

Ten of the offences, dating between January 2014 and September 2025, were committed “together with a person unknown”, the court was told.

The number of people involved was not revealed at the hearing.

The man’s defence team argued against the claim that the victim was drugged during all the offences.

“The prosecution maintains all of these offences were committed whilst the victim had been drugged and stupefied,” said prosecutor Alexandra Felix.

Judge David Herbert told the defendant, who is due to be sentenced on September 18, that a “very substantial prison sentence is inevitable”.

The judge said he would consider “whether a life sentence is appropriate”.

Andrew Hopkinson, from the Crown Prosecution Service which brings public prosecutions in England and Wales, called it a “sustained campaign of abuse”.

Multiple investigations into alleged drugging and raping of long-term partners, known as drug-facilitated sexual abuse (DFSA), are under way in the U.K..

In Stockport in the northwest, the husband of a woman who was allegedly drugged and sexually assaulted is set to stand trial in September alongside 12 other men accused of taking part in the sexual abuse.

In January, a British man pleaded guilty to drugging and raping his ex-wife over a 13-year period, with five other men also charged with sexual offences against the woman.

Four out of five of them pleaded not guilty at a hearing in southeast England.

The victim in the case, Joanne Young, waived her right to anonymity in a move similar to Gisele Pelicot’s landmark decision.

If you or someone you know is struggling with sexual assault or trauma, the following resources are available to support people in crisis:

• Call 911 if you are in immediate danger or fear for your safety.
• The Canadian Association of Sexual Assault Centres' website has a comprehensive list of sexual assault centres in Canada that offer information, advocacy and counselling.
• The Ending Violence Association of Canada‘s website has links to helplines, support services and locations across Canada that offer sexual assault kits.
• Indian Residential School Survivors Society crisis lines: [phone] or [phone] (24/7)
• Toronto Rape Crisis Centre crisis line: [phone] (24/7)
• Canadian Human Trafficking Hotline: [phone] (24/7)
• Trans Lifeline: [phone]
• Suicide Crisis Helpline: call or text 988 (24/7)
• Sexual Misconduct Support and Resource Centre for current and former Canadian Armed Forces members: [phone]
• Read about your rights as a victim on the Canadian Resource Centre for Victims of Crime website.