Former football club chief admits role in a husband's drugging and rape of his wife, with her watching from the gallery

Karl Lindsay, 56, resigned as chief executive of Taunton Town Football Club in Somerset last November and on Friday entered guilty pleas at Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court to administering substances to stupefy the woman for sexual acts and two further serious sexual offences spanning January 2015 to October 2025. Judge Maurice Greene remanded Lindsay — a married father of five — in custody pending sentencing. The trial of nine remaining defendants is due to open on Monday.

The victim's husband, who cannot be named, has previously admitted 62 offences against his wife, including rape, covering a period of more than 20 years.

Three other men — Graham Brougham, 74, Keith Fotheringham, 59, and Sean Peers, 38 — have also pleaded guilty to offences against the woman at earlier hearings.

Among those set to stand trial on Monday are an ambulance paramedic, a former nightclub DJ, a youth football coach, and a taxi driver.