Geneva man accused of drugging and raping his wife

A man from the canton of Geneva allegedly drugged and raped his wife while she was unconscious, then shared recordings of the assaults with other men in online groups, SRF reported. The Geneva prosecution service confirmed to news agency Keystone-SDA that criminal proceedings had been opened.

The suspect, who lives in the canton of Geneva, has been held in pre-trial detention since May 2025. He is presumed innocent.

The case came to light through Canadian investigative journalist Avery Haines. In an interview published by CH Media newspapers, she said she encountered a social media profile while researching a man convicted of rape in Canada. The user described himself as a filmmaker and offered advice on staging videos of rapes.

Haines contacted the man under the pretext of looking for a mentor. They later moved to an encrypted messaging service, where he allegedly described his wife in extremely dehumanising terms and discussed turning her into a “toy”.

Haines said further research on social media led her to a wedding video. She identified the bride as the unconscious woman she had previously seen in the recordings. She then handed her findings to Geneva police and was informed several months later that the man had been arrested.

Similar cases

The case has parallels with an ongoing investigation in Untersiggenthal in the canton of Aargau. Former Swiss People’s Party cantonal parliamentarian Patrick Frei is accused of repeatedly drugging and sexually abusing two women, including a minor. He has been held in pre-trial detention for three years.

The issue of sexual offences against drugged victims attracted international attention through the case of Gisèle Pelicot in France. Her then-husband, Dominique Pelicot, drugged her for years and arranged for men to rape her. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison in December 2024.