Prosecutors say Philip Young drugged his former wife and arranged assaults. Four men deny offences as jurors consider whether they believed she consented.
What the jury has heard
The central question at this trial is whether four men believed Joanne Young had consented to sex. Prosecutors say her former husband, Philip Young, spent years drugging her and arranging for strangers to assault her while she was unconscious or unable to remember what happened. The case turns on what the men knew—and whether they chose to ignore the signs. Young, 50, a former Conservative borough councillor, has pleaded guilty to 56 sex offences against his former wife. Prosecutor Sarah Jones told the jury he used photos taken without Joanne’s knowledge to advertise on swinging websites, Grindr and Craigslist. She said the idea of making his fantasy happen without Joanne knowing had become “fixed in his brain”. Joanne, 49, has waived her right to anonymity. Jones described her as someone with “vanilla” sexual tastes who saw marriage as exclusive and lasting. “There was no way he would ever think it was acceptable at all,” the prosecutor said.
Young is accused of recruiting strangers to abuse Joanne (Picture: PA)
Prosecutors say Young spiked Joanne’s drinks. She would wake blindfolded and handcuffed, unaware she had been assaulted. He recorded her more than 200 times without consent from 2010 and published material described in court as obscene more than 500 times.
Four men went on trial at Winchester Crown Court, accused of offences against Joanne between 2016 and 2023. Three lived in Swindon, where Jones said Young sought strangers of any age or race who could be close enough to act when the opportunity arose.
Richard Wilkins, 62, denies rape and assault. Connor Sanderson-Doyle, 32, denies sexual assault and sexual touching. Mohammed Hassan, 38, denies sexual touching. Norman Macksoni, 48, of Sharnbrook, Bedfordshire, denies rape.
Several men are on trial over the alleged offences (Picture: PA)
Jones said some defendants may argue they believed Joanne had consented through her husband. Young allegedly presented the arrangement as a shared sexual kink, but, the prosecutor said, there was no evidence from Joanne to support that account. Photos used in the advertisements showed her blindfolded, tied to a bed and apparently unresponsive.
The men are not accused of drugging Joanne. Prosecutors say the effects of the drugs should have been apparent. Jones told the court that a shared nightcap was used to leave Joanne unable to respond or recall what happened.
A packet of sedatives from India addressed to Young was intercepted by customs in 2015; he denied knowing about it when police contacted him. Testing later showed Joanne had been exposed to sedatives, including ketamine and zolpidem, through 2024.
In 2023, while blindfolded, Joanne felt another person’s hand on her wrist as Young had sex with her. She was shocked, the jury heard. She later recalled Young telling the person, “Get down,” after which they ducked. The next day, Young apologised for inviting someone to watch. Jones said Joanne then discovered that what she had understood as a serious breach of trust was “far, far more invasive and shocking.”
Three of the men appear in videos Young made, prosecutors said. Jones warned the jury—eight men and six women—to expect deeply distressing evidence, including videos that would be difficult to forget. Their task, she said, is to decide whether the defendants genuinely believed Joanne had consented, relied on what Young told them, or simply did not care.
Young also admitted making indecent images of children and possessing extreme pornography. He is due to be sentenced after the trial, alongside a sixth defendant, Dean Hamilton, 47, of Street, Somerset, who admitted sexual assaults and one rape. The trial continues.
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