Four men on trial for assaults on drugged woman

Summarised from 5 outlets · Updated 27 Oct, 14:57 · Archive

Four men stand trial at Winchester Crown Court for sexually assaulting a woman her ex-husband drugged and advertised online.

Four men are on trial at Winchester Crown Court for sexually assaulting Joanne Young, who has waived her right to anonymity. The defendants – Norman Macksoni, 48, Richard Wilkins, 62, Connor Sanderson-Doyle, 32, and Mohammed Hassan, 38 – are charged with offences alleged to have taken place between summer 2016 and winter 2023. All four are charged jointly with Joanne Young's ex-husband, Philip Young, 50, a former cabinet member of Swindon borough council.

Philip Young has pleaded guilty to almost 50 sex offences against his former wife. He admitted to repeatedly drugging her over 13 years and to sexually assaulting her himself. He also admitted to advertising her on Craigslist, Grindr and swinging websites to recruit other men, according to the prosecution.

Prosecutor Sarah Jones KC told the jury that Philip Young had posted advertisements claiming to offer his wife for sex, presenting it as a kink both partners shared. However, she said there was no information from Joanne Young herself to support this claim. The photographs he posted showed her "inanimate and tied to the bed blindfolded", the court heard.

Joanne Young told police she had a "fairly normal" and "always monogamous" sex life with her husband. She described her sexual tastes as "vanilla" and said she was "emphatically monogamous", having a "traditional sense of marriage".

The prosecution alleges that Philip Young would drug his wife before the other men came to the house. Joanne Young told police of one 2023 incident when she woke with restraints and a blindfold on while a man she believed to be her husband was performing a sexual act on her, with another man's hand on her wrist. She was unaware that the man performing the act was actually a stranger "taking his place without her knowledge", Ms Jones told the jury.

Ms Jones said Joanne Young had only a "nightmare" sense of another person being present by her bed and would sometimes wake to find herself blindfolded and handcuffed with no idea she had been abused. The prosecutor told the jury the case centred on whether it was "ever reasonable" to have sex or to begin sexual contact with an unknown woman without checking her consent first, and whether one person can give consent on another's behalf.

The four defendants deny the charges. The prosecution indicated they are likely to claim they believed they had Joanne Young's consent via her husband. A jury of eight men and six women was selected on Monday. Mr Justice Saini warned them the case would involve "graphic and sexually explicit imagery" and told them it would not be "an easy case to be a juror in".

How it is being reported

• Tory councillor advertised drugged wife on internet for sex to fulfil secret ‘fantasy’, court hearsJurors at Winchester Crown Court heard Philip Young had advertised his wife for sex on several different websitesThe Independent · 27 Oct, 14:46
• Men abused woman advertised by husband, court toldFour men stand trial after the woman's ex-husband has pleaded guilty to drugging and raping her.BBC News · 27 Oct, 14:28
• Husband’s ‘betrayal of trust’ allowed other men to abuse his wife, court toldFour men allegedly recruited by her husband have gone on trial for allegedly abusing Joanne Young who has waived her right to anonymity.Evening Standard · 27 Oct, 13:48
• Husband 'advertised' unsuspecting wife on Craigslist before mother-of-three was drugged and sexually assaulted by 'multiple men', court hearsPhilip Young, a former cabinet member of Swindon borough council, pleaded guilty to almost 50 sex offences against his wife Joanne Young earlier this year.Daily Mail · 27 Oct, 13:38
• Jury selected for trial of four accused of sexually assaulting man’s drugged ex-wifeMr Justice Saini tells the eight men and six women at Winchester crown court the case is likely to be upsetting Jurors being selected for the trial of four men accused of sexually assaulting the ex-wife of a former Conservative councillor, who has admitted repeatedly drugging and raping her, have been warned the case is likely to be upsetting. Philip Young, 50, has pleaded guilty to multiple charges of abuse against his former wife, Joanne Young, who has waived her right to anonymity. Continue reading...Guardian World · 26 Oct, 17:51

In this story: Joanne Young · Philip Young · Norman Macksoni · Richard Wilkins · Connor Sanderson-Doyle · Mohammed Hassan · Winchester Crown Court · Swindon

This summary was written by AI from the headlines and standfirsts above, and states as fact only what at least two outlets report. How we use AI · Report a problem · Corrections log