Silent Crimes: Kate’s Fight for Justice After Years of Abuse

Chemical Control and Spiking: “My Husband Raped Me for Years by Drugging Me”

One evening, as Kate (not her real name) and her husband sat together and began to talk, she had no idea what he was about to confess.

“I’ve been raping you for the past several years, and during all of it, I’ve also been taking photos of you.”

Kate was left speechless after hearing this. She went into shock. She couldn’t understand what her husband was saying.

“He said it to me so casually, as if it was something very normal.”

Warning: Some information in this story may be distressing.

Behind closed doors, her husband had been abusing her for years. His behavior was violent; he was misusing prescription medications.

There were times when Kate would regain consciousness only to find her husband having sex with her — but due to the drugs, she was in such a state that she couldn't stop him. She was unable to give consent. It was rape.

When confronted, her husband tried to excuse his actions, saying, “I wasn’t in my senses. I didn’t know what I was doing. I was unwell and didn’t understand what was happening.”

Kate believed him. She even took him to doctors to get treatment.

But at that time, she didn’t know that her husband had been drugging her — putting sleeping pills in her tea at night to make her sleep deeply so he could rape her while she was unconscious.

After his confession, her husband threatened her, saying that if she went to the police, it would be the last day of her life. That scared Kate.

He was the father of her children, and she didn’t want things to get worse.

However, a few months after hearing his confession, Kate began to experience severe physical effects. She became extremely ill, lost a lot of weight rapidly, and began suffering from panic attacks.

Almost a year after her husband’s confession, when her health had seriously deteriorated, Kate told her sister everything.

Her sister called their mother, who then contacted the police. Her husband was arrested and interrogated.

But four days later, Kate contacted the police and said she didn’t want to pursue the case further.

She said, “I wasn’t ready for all this.” That time was extremely painful for her and her children, because the relationship between her husband and their father could never be the same again.

Even so, Kate did not want her husband living in the house anymore, so he had to arrange for another place to stay.

This was the turning point. After taking time to process everything, six months later Kate contacted the police again, and an investigation was launched under Detective Constable Mike Smith.

Kate said the investigating officer helped her understand that she was the victim of a serious crime and was lucky to be alive.

She said, “He (the police officer) gave me courage and strength. I hadn’t consciously realized what had happened to me. He explained to me that it was rape.”

Her (now ex-) husband's medical records provided key evidence. After confessing to Kate, he had secretly paid a psychologist for an assessment.

During those therapy sessions, he admitted that he used to drug his wife in order to have sex with her — doing so while she was semi-conscious or asleep.

This confession was recorded in the psychologist’s notes.

Kate said her husband also confessed in front of some members of Narcotics Anonymous — a drug recovery group — and to some church friends.

Eventually, the police case files were submitted to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), but they decided not to press charges.

Kate couldn’t understand how or why.

She said, “I thought, if you didn’t find enough evidence to prosecute in my case, where there were confessions, then how will anyone else ever get justice?”

Disheartened, she filed an official request for a review of the CPS decisions. Six months later, the CPS said that her ex-husband would now be charged. They also admitted that "the original decision made by our charging prosecutor was flawed."

A CPS spokesperson told File on 4 Investigations that, “Although we get most of our charging decisions right the first time, this did not happen here, and we apologize to the victim for the distress this may have caused.”

The case went to court in 2022—five years after Kate’s ex-husband confessed to her.

During the trial, he claimed that Kate had enjoyed what he had done to her—having sex with her while she was asleep.

He admitted to giving Kate sedative drugs, but said it was so he could have sex without waking her. However, he denied the rape charges—but the jury didn’t believe him.

Detective Constable Smith said, “It was incredibly absurd and painful for me. This was the most traumatic experience of her [Kate’s] life, and he was presenting it as if it had been a mutually consensual sexual act.”

After a week-long trial, Kate’s ex-husband was found guilty of rape, sexual assault, and deliberately administering drugs.

While sentencing, the judge described him as “a selfish man” who prioritized his supposed needs without limits and “showed no genuine remorse.”

He was sentenced to 11 years in prison and received a lifelong restraining order.

Three years later, Kate is trying to rebuild her life with her children. Since then, she has been diagnosed with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and a neurological disorder, both caused by the trauma she endured.

Kate sees similarities between her case and that of French woman Gisèle Péllicot, whose ex-husband drugged and raped her—and even involved dozens of other men in the abuse.

Kate says, “I remember at the time, I was just hoping and praying that she would get the support she needed.”

‘Chemical control’ is now a term used to describe the weaponization of drugs. Professor Marianne Hester from the University of Bristol’s Centre for Gender and Violence Research says, “It’s likely to be much more widespread.”

She adds, “I always think about whether, if such drugs are present in the home, the perpetrator could or is using them for any purpose.”

Domestic Violence Commissioner for England and Wales, Dame Nicole Jacobs, says crimes like spiking are under-recorded due to changes in how police log offenses.

She says, “If ministers want to make real progress on halving violence against women and girls over the next decade, then we must ensure that all domestic abuse-related crimes reported to police are accurately measured.”

She emphasizes, “This is crucial not only to hold offenders accountable but also to ensure that victims receive the essential support they need to rebuild their lives.”

The Home Office told the program it is developing police software that can identify incidents of spiking when they occur as part of another crime.

Spiking is already a criminal offense across the UK, covered under existing legislation.

Under new laws in England and Wales, offenders can face up to 10 years in prison.

Minister for Women and Girls’ Safety, Jess Phillips, told File on 4 Investigations in a statement:
“Spiking is a vile crime that violates a victim’s sense of safety and trust.”

There are ongoing discussions about extending this law to Northern Ireland.

The Scottish Government said it currently has no plans to introduce a specific offense for spiking, but it is reviewing the situation.

In the end, Kate got justice. But her ex-husband would not be behind bars had she not challenged the CPS—despite her doubts that the case had a realistic chance of prosecution.

Kate says, “I want others to understand that abuse can happen much more quietly than you imagine. I’m still trying to understand what happened to me and how it has affected me.”