Trial begins at Winchester court for four men over the rape of a woman whose husband posted adverts about her on dating sites

The key facts

Four men have gone on trial at Winchester Crown Court accused of sexual offences against Joanne Young; all have pleaded not guilty
Four men have appeared at Winchester Crown Court accused of sexual offences against Joanne Young; all have pleaded not guilty
Philip Young, a former Conservative councillor, has admitted 48 offences, including 11 rapes, and publishing more than 500 intimate images
The sixth defendant, Dean Hamilton, has admitted guilt on four counts; sentences for Young and Hamilton will be handed down after the trial
A sixth defendant, Dean Hamilton, has pleaded guilty to four counts; sentences for Young and Hamilton will be passed after the trial

The charges and the prosecution's case

The trial has begun at Winchester Crown Court of Norman Macksoni (48), Richard Wilkins (62), Connor Sanderson-Doyle (32) and Mohammed Hassan (38), who deny sexual offences against Joanne Young, who has waived her right to anonymity. They are charged alongside her ex-husband Philip Young, a 50-year-old former Conservative councillor, who has admitted drugging and raping her over a period of 13 years. This is reported by BBC News.

Timeline of the offences

Prosecutor Sarah Jones KC told the jury that Young posted adverts on Craigslist, Grindr and swingers' websites, inviting 'strangers to come and sleep with his wife', and that the photographs used in the adverts showed her bound and blindfolded. According to the prosecutor, a 'night-time drink' was used to put the woman into a state in which 'anyone who responded could do whatever they wanted with her', without her awareness or memory. Joanne Young told police she believed her intimate life with her husband was 'perfectly normal' and 'always monogamous', until in 2023 she woke up with restraints and a blindfold on, believing that her husband was performing the sex act, when in fact, according to the prosecution, he had been 'swapped for an unknown man'.

The role of each defendant

Sanderson-Doyle, from Swindon, who responded to an advert on Craigslist, denies sexual penetration and touching in 2016; according to the prosecutor, on the video, wearing a balaclava, he touched the bound Joanne, who protested, and he continued until Young said 'No, let go'. Macksoni, from Sharnbrook (Bedfordshire), denies rape in 2017; the prosecution says that on the recording the woman, blindfolded and restrained, spoke in a confused manner, while Macksoni 'did not utter a single word' during almost seven minutes of footage. Wilkins, from Swindon, denies rape and penetration in 2016; according to the court, on the video the sleeping Joanne can be heard snoring, while Wilkins whispered with Young about what to do next. Hassan, from Swindon, denies sexual touching in 2023; he was traced through his correspondence with Young on Grindr, and the next day Young apologised to him, writing that his wife was 'in a panic'. According to the court, all four told police that they believed Joanne had consented, or refused to answer questions.

Guilty pleas and the course of the trial

Philip Young has admitted 14 counts of voyeurism, 11 rapes, 11 counts of administering a substance with intent, seven penetrations, four sexual assaults and one publication of obscene material; in addition, he published more than 500 intimate images and videos of his ex-wife and secretly recorded her between 2010 and 2024. The sixth defendant, 47-year-old Dean Hamilton from Somerset, has admitted penetration, two sexual assaults and rape. Sentences for Young and Hamilton will be handed down after the trial, which is expected to last up to four weeks. The prosecution argues that the defendants could not reasonably have believed that Joanne consented, given her condition: 'They did not ask, because they did not want it to become absolutely clear that Joanne was unaware of what was happening'.