Four men on trial after drugging wife for sex over seven years
A court in England heard that a businessman advertised his unconscious wife to strangers online while she was restrained and blindfolded in their home.
By Lucy Lefebvre ·
Four men stand accused of sexually assaulting a woman in her own home while she was unconscious, restrained, and blindfolded. The alleged offenses took place between the summer of 2016 and the winter of 2023. The defendants deny the charges as the trial proceeds at Winchester Crown Court.
Prosecutor Sarah Jones KC told the jury that the victims' world had tilted on its axis when they discovered the truth. She described the case as dealing with depressingly awful and sordid material. Jurors are expected to view videos showing the victim while other men engaged in sexual activity with her.
Philip Young, 50, has pleaded guilty to multiple charges of abuse against his former wife, Joanne Young, 49. He advertised her on dating and swinging websites, presenting the arrangement as a shared kink. In reality, he had been sedating her to plunge her into an inanimate state where anyone answering his ads could act on her.
The four accused are Connor Sanderson-Doyle, 32, Richard Wilkins, 62, Norman Macksoni, 48, and Mohammed Hassan, 38. None of them suggested that Joanne Young was actually consenting. Each man is likely to argue that they believed she was consenting and that this belief was reasonable. Jones argued that none of them checked with the woman herself to ensure she was okay.
Police began investigating after a notification that a social media account linked to Philip Young had uploaded extreme pornography. Officers visited the couple's home in Swindon, Wiltshire, and found the incriminating videos. A sedative drug package posted to Young from India in 2015 had also been intercepted by customs, which helped build the case against him.
Joanne Young said she and her husband were monogamous and that she did not like being out of control. She did not object to him preferring restraints and blindfolds during their sex life. The marriage began in 2004, and the couple has three children who are now young adults.
The deception ended in 2023 when Young felt a stranger's hand on her wrist during a sexual encounter. She hid in the bathroom and later told police that a man was in her house and she was naked. Young will be sentenced after the current trial concludes.
Source: The Guardian
