Man Accused of Raping Drugged Wife Warned Husband to Delete Evidence and Referenced Gisèle Pelicot Case

A man accused of raping a woman allegedly drugged by her husband urged him to delete images and referenced the Gisèle Pelicot case within hours of visiting their home, a court heard. Robert Stewart, 70, also allegedly told the husband to remove him from his phone and cut off all contact.

Jurors at Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court heard that Stewart sent the warning after visiting the couple's home in Stockport, Greater Manchester, in September 2025. He denies two counts of rape and conspiracy to rape in a trial involving nine men, all of whom deny the offences alleged against them.

Pelicot Reference Raised in Court

The prosecution said Stewart messaged the husband after visiting the home, writing: 'Mate have had a bad feeling about it all day.' He allegedly continued: 'Delete all images from your phone etc as its too risky.'

The message then stated: 'Remember what happened to the guy in France.' Prosecutor Louise Oakley KC identified this as a reference to Dominique Pelicot, convicted in 2024 of drugging his wife, Gisèle, and arranging for other men to rape her while she was unconscious.

Jury Hears of Request to Sever Contact

Stewart allegedly added: 'Delete me from your phone and life.' The message continued: 'If she caught you out it would be a whole lot of trouble and end of your marriage and ruin your life.'

The exchange was presented as part of the prosecution's case against Stewart, who is accused of attending the home and participating directly in sexual offending against the woman. His alleged messages were detailed in published court reporting by The i Paper, alongside the prosecution's account of how police uncovered the abuse.

Seven Defendants Allegedly Visited the Home

Prosecutors have divided the nine defendants into seven alleged contact offenders, accused of visiting the couple's home, and two alleged non-contact offenders accused of involvement through online communications.

The distinction separates allegations of physical participation from those of encouraging or facilitating offending remotely, rather than treating every defendant's alleged conduct as identical.

Oakley alleged that men communicating with the husband discussed his offending, exchanged images and encouraged further abuse, including advising him about administering substances without his wife's knowledge.

Different defendants face different charges, and each man's alleged involvement is being considered in the proceedings now before the jury.

Husband's Guilty Pleas

The husband has admitted 62 offences against his wife, including multiple rapes, while four other men have pleaded guilty to sexual offences connected with her.

Those admissions are separate from the allegations against the nine defendants currently standing trial and do not establish their guilt.

Oakley said the husband had abused his wife for more than 20 years, initially exploiting occasions when alcohol left her unconscious before increasingly administering drugs without her knowledge.

From 2023 at the latest, he allegedly invited other men to their home and recorded sexual acts involving her while she was incapacitated.

Telegram Inquiry Uncovers Recordings

The alleged abuse came to light after undercover journalists infiltrated a chat on the Telegram messaging platform, the prosecution said.

Jurors heard that the husband shared messages and images involving his sleeping or unconscious wife, before police attended the Stockport address in October 2025, arrested him and seized his phone.

Oakley told jurors the device contained more than one million photographs and videos documenting abuse, describing it as a 'confession booth' of the husband's offending.

His wife had been unaware of the abuse until police intervened, while the prosecution disputes suggestions that she was pretending to be unconscious during consensual role play.