Four men charged with sexual assaults linked to former councillor's abuse case go on trial
Four defendants appeared at Winchester Crown Court facing rape and sexual assault charges tied to alleged abuse of Joanne Young, the ex-wife of former Tory councillor Philip Young, who has already pleaded guilty to similar offences.
Four men appeared at Winchester Crown Court charged with rape and sexual assault offences alleged to have been committed against Joanne Young, the ex-wife of former Tory councillor Philip Young. Young has previously pleaded guilty to multiple offences involving drugging and raping his wife over a 13-year period.
The defendants – Norman Macksoni, 48, of Bedfordshire; Richard Wilkins, 62, of Swindon; Connor Sanderson-Doyle, 32, of Swindon; and Mohammed Hassan, 38, of Swindon – each denied the charges listed against them, which include rape, sexual assault by penetration and sexual touching.
Judge Mr Justice Saini warned the jury that the trial would involve graphic material, including videos, and urged jurors to remain focused on the evidence rather than emotion. He noted that Young’s guilty pleas do not constitute evidence against the four defendants, as the evidence against each party differs.
"The fact that Mr Young has pleaded guilty to those charges is evidence of his guilt of that charge but it is not evidence that these defendants are guilty of the offences with which they are charged," the judge said.
Prosecutor Sarah Jones KC told the jury that Joanne Young, now 49, described herself as monogamous with conventional sexual preferences and that she had been blindfolded and restrained during the alleged assaults without her knowledge. She recounted that Young had advertised his wife on various online platforms, seeking strangers to join them, and that police had intercepted a shipment of sedative tablets sent to Young in 2015.
"Joanne described herself and her preferences as very normal – vanilla," Jones said, adding that Young had allegedly arranged for men to enter the couple’s bedroom while she was restrained.
Police investigations began after extreme images linked to Young were uploaded to a social-media site. Subsequent raids seized electronic devices containing intimate images of Joanne Young and identified several men who had responded to Young’s online adverts. One video from 2016 shows a masked individual assaulting Joanne Young while she is restrained.
The jury, composed of eight men and four women, was sworn in and instructed to consider the evidence impartially. The trial is ongoing.