A man facing allegations of raping and sexually assaulting his wife is scheduled to appear in court in England on Tuesday, alongside twelve other individuals accused of participating in or facilitating the abuse.

The defendant, a man in his sixties from Stockport in northwestern England, is charged with conspiring with others to drug and sexually assault his wife while she was incapacitated, as reported by British police authorities in June. The trial is taking place in Manchester.

Due to U.K. privacy laws, the man’s identity remains confidential to protect the alleged victim’s anonymity.

He is facing a total of 48 charges, as reported by CBS News in collaboration with BBC News. While he initially denied all allegations, he later admitted guilt on 15 counts. These include five counts of rape, three counts of sexual assault, six counts of assault by penetration, and one count related to sharing intimate images or videos, according to officials with Greater Manchester Police.

Despite his admissions, he maintains his innocence regarding 11 counts of rape, two counts of attempted rape, seven counts of assault by penetration, four counts of sexual assault, four counts of conspiracy to commit rape, three counts of conspiracy to assault by penetration, one count of conspiracy to administer a substance with intent, and one count of administering a substance with intent, as outlined by the U.K.’s Crown Prosecution Service.

The additional defendants scheduled for trial on Tuesday are accused of committing various offenses, including the sexual abuse of the victim and assisting in the administration of substances that rendered her unconscious, thereby enabling the abuse.

Prosecutors informed CBS News that the ages of the defendants range from 28 to 73 years.

This case has drawn comparisons to that of Gisèle Pelicot, a French woman who gained international attention when she testified against her ex-husband and numerous other men in a mass rape trial in 2024.

Pelicot chose to forgo her anonymity and advocated for public access to the courtroom proceedings during the four-month trial against her ex-spouse, Dominique Pelicot, along with 51 other men accused of raping her over nearly a decade at his behest. All defendants were convicted, with Dominique receiving the maximum sentence of 20 years.