A woman has bravely waived her right to anonymity after her husband was jailed for sick crimes against her – including drugging and raping her, and inviting a bevy of other men in to abuse her as she slept.
Laura Bishop recalls “controlling” aspects of her relationship with Daniel Bishop, but had no idea what he was capable of.
After losing consciousness while drinking a gin and tonic made by her then-partner, Laura woke hours later to a stranger raping her.
It was the start of a life-changing realisation – that her husband had facilitated the crime, as well as perpetrating rape himself.
Laura, from Bristol, is now speaking out to raise awareness and, she hopes, one day uncover the identities of the seven other men involved in the heinous crimes.
To the outside world, Daniel Bishop appeared to be a loving husband and father.
But Laura says the reality inside their home was very different and that her husband was violent and controlling.
According to Laura, that includes being in charge of her prescription medication – something she now believes was a sinister part of how he kept her sedated so he and other men could rape her.
On some occasions, Bishop reportedly poured powdered prescription medication into her drinks to render her unconscious.
Laura claims he later used car wheel cleaner containing GHB, a powerful sedative.
For years, she had no idea what was being done to her – until one night she woke up.
Sharing what she recalls in an ITV Exposure’s programme, Laura said she was sitting at the breakfast bar in her kitchen with her husband when he suggested they have a drink together.
She said: “He poured me a gin and tonic. I couldn’t see what he was doing.
“I never thought I’d need to watch what he did with my drink.
“I don’t remember finishing it.
“I woke up on the bed. Completely undressed. Naked. And being raped by a stranger.
“I immediately looked to the right and Dan was stood there, my husband was stood there in the doorway.
“And I can remember the first thing I thought was, I’m going to be strangled and murdered.
“But I started moving myself very quickly back up the bed and the man got up and ran off.”
Terrified, Laura managed to escape.
But what she had witnessed that night was only the beginning of her understanding of what her husband had been doing to her.
Bishop admitted rape and administering a substance with intent to commit a sexual offence.
Bristol Crown Court heard that he obtained the GHB drug from a Dutch website.
Bishop pleaded guilty to three rapes, three attempted rapes, a sexual assault, and administering a noxious substance.
He was jailed for 14 years and eight months, as reported by Need To Know.
Laura said: “If you’re a kind and decent person, your mind isn’t going to sit there imagining all of these horrors.
“You couldn’t fabricate it; you couldn’t make this story up in your head if you tried.
“Despite how abusive he was, I never once thought that he was drugging me.”
But for Laura, his conviction did not bring an end to the questions: Who were the other men? How many had there been? And why had they not been caught?
Desperate for answers, Laura began investigating her own abuse, slowly unravelling some of the horror he had inflicted.
She gathered evidence and recorded telephone conversations with her former husband while he was in prison – he wasn’t aware but she was recording some of his calls.
What she discovered was devastating.
In one recording, Bishop admitted that the stranger Laura had woken up to find raping her was not the only man he had invited into their home.
He tells her it was seven men in total, on eight different occasions – with one man returning for a second time.
Bishop also admitted livestreaming the abuse online.
Five years after her escape, the other men have still not been caught and still walk free.
Laura believes crucial opportunities to gather evidence by Avon and Somerset Police were missed, including the bed on which she was attacked not being forensically examined for years, despite her requests.
She also claims CCTV footage from the roads around her house wasn’t fully collected.
She said: “I want justice, from the evidence that was available that night I woke.”
Laura fears the unknown other abusers may pose a danger to other women, and the failure to identify them has left her with the knowledge that those who took part in her abuse may still be living ordinary lives with their identities unknown.
She believes more needs to be done to uncover these men, identify those responsible and prevent other women from suffering similar abuse.
Laura added: “It’s not just about justice for me.
“It’s making sure other women aren’t in harm’s way as we speak.”
For years, Laura kept what happened to her as a secret, so it did not impact any police investigation to find the other perpetrators.
Now, with the support of her parents, she has made the decision to give up her anonymity – despite that meaning reliving some of the most traumatic moments of her life.
But she also knows that remaining silent has not brought her the answers she needs.
“This is my chance for my voice to be heard, and for true justice to begin.”
In a statement from Avon and Somerset Police, they told ITV News: “We’re sorry Laura feels let down by aspects of the overall investigation.
“One man has received a significant prison sentence for the crimes he committed against her, but a thorough investigation continues, led by specially-trained detectives.
“We will always respect a victim’s decision as to whether they wish to waive their automatic right to anonymity
“Identification of the offenders has been a priority since the outset. This was not delayed by the investigation into offences committed by Daniel Bishop.
“Laura’s bedsheets were seized in August 2021 but not tested until April 2023
“An internal review found no CCTV opportunities were missed.
“A number of digital enquiries have been completed to ensure all available evidence is collected. This includes in response to information provided by the victim and other parties.
“As this evidence forms part of the live investigation, we are unable to comment any further.
“In recent years, policing has undergone a fundamental transformation to the way rape investigations are carried out through the rollout of national programme Operation Soteria.
“The perpetrators of rape and serious sexual offences are placed at the forefront of our investigations, and this approach ensures victims are believed and better supported throughout with enhanced engagement.
“We are clear – the victim is not on trial or under investigation.”
Laura has shared her story in ITV’s Exposure programme, Laura’s Story: The Stranger in my Bed, which airs tonight (Thursday) at 10.45pm on ITV and ITVX.
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