Tory councillor’s wife hid from man he brought to abuse her, court hears

The wife of a former Tory councillor locked herself in a bathroom after waking to find her husband and a stranger sexually assaulting her.

Philip Young, 50, has pleaded guilty to several charges of drugging and abusing Joanne Young, who has waived her anonymity.

Four other men are on trial at Winchester Crown Court, accused of sexually assaulting Mrs Young as she lay "shackled and blindfolded" in the Young family home in Swindon.

The court has heard that Young had "advertised" his wife of more than 20 years on dating and swinging websites without her knowledge.

Jurors have been told that Young would "pluck men from the internet" to rape his wife while he watched, "relishing their degradation of her".

Joanne Young has waived her right to anonymity - Wiltshire Police

On one occasion, before her husband had been arrested and she had learned the extent of his abuse, Mrs Young said she had awoken to find herself blindfolded and tied to the bed.

In a July 2024 police interview, played in court, Mrs Young tearfully explained that she had been out with her husband and friends one night, and, after coming home and having a nightcap, she had gone upstairs and fallen asleep.

Mrs Young said she had woken wearing a blindfold and restraints, with two men in the room.

As she tried to take off the blindfold, the court heard, a hand grabbed her wrist and she heard her husband telling someone to "get down".

Mrs Young said she had eventually managed to get the blindfold off. She said she had run naked into the ensuite bathroom and locked the door.

The next morning, her husband apologised and said he had been "looking in forums" and had invited someone round to "watch us have sex".

Norman Macksoni arriving at Winchester Crown Court to face trial on Tuesday - Press Association/Ben Birchall

Mrs Young said: "He came down and he sat on the sofa it is probably one of the only times I have seen him upset. He doesn't get upset or cry

"He apologised and said he was so sorry he had done that. I asked him if it had been just that once, and he said: 'No, it was just this one thing.'"

Mrs Young said she had been so shocked by the incident that she did not know how to process it and "stuck her head in the sand", attempting to carry on as normal.

Later in the police interview, becoming tearful, she said: "How could he do that to me, something that is so intrusive. How can you do it? I haven't said you can do it, so how can you do it and think that's okay?"

Left to right: Norman Macksoni, Conner Sanderson Doyle, Richard Wilkins, Mohammed Hassan and Dean Hamilton appeared at Swindon magistrates' court for an earlier hearing - PA Wire/Elizabeth Cook

Sarah Jones KC, prosecuting, told the court that Young would give his wife a nightcap laced with sedatives before the attacks to "plunge her into a state where anything could be done to her by whoever answered and she would be unaware or unable to remember".

Ms Jones said jurors would have to decide whether it was "ever reasonable to have sex or to begin to have sexual contact with an unknown woman without checking with her first".

The four men on trial are Norman Macksoni, 48, who denies one count of rape, Richard Wilkins, 62, who denies one count of rape and one of assault by penetration, Connor Sanderson-Doyle, 32, who denies sexual assault by penetration and sexual touching, and Mohammed Hassan, 38, who has pleaded not guilty to one count of sexual touching.

Young has admitted 14 counts of voyeurism, 11 of rape, 11 of administering a substance with intent, seven of assault by penetration, four of sexual assault and one of publishing an obscene article.