French court hears shocking trial of husband accused of drugging wife for strangers

A woman’s world was "tilted on its axis" when she discovered that for years her former husband had been drugging her and inviting men into their family home to sexually assault her while she was restrained and blindfolded, a Winchester crown court jury has been told.

Philip Young, 50, advertised his then wife, Joanne Young, on dating and swinging websites, presenting the arrangement as a shared "kink." In reality, prosecutors stated, he had been sedating her, plunging her into an inanimate state where strangers could assault her.

The businessman has pleaded guilty to multiple charges of abuse against his former wife, who has waived her right to anonymity.

The jury of eight men and four women is hearing the trial of four men jointly charged with sexually assaulting Joanne Young, 49. 

Connor Sanderson-Doyle, 32, of Swindon, Wiltshire, denies sexual assault by penetration and sexual touching in June 2016.

Richard Wilkins, 62, of Toothill, Swindon, has pleaded not guilty to one count of rape and one of assault by penetration in July 2016. Norman Macksoni, 48, of Sharnbrook, Bedfordshire, denies one count of rape in February 2017.

Mohammed Hassan, 38, of Swindon, has pleaded not guilty to one count of sexual touching in February 2023. Philip Young is named in each count as having committed the alleged offenses alongside the co-defendants.

Prosecuting counsel Sarah Jones KC told the jury that Joanne Young had no idea what had been happening to her until police intervened at the family home in Swindon, Wiltshire.

“The world she thought she knew had entirely tilted on its axis. The relationship she thought she had appears now to be wholly unreal—she does not even know what she doesn’t know.”

Jones warned jurors that the trial would involve distressing evidence, including video footage showing Joanne Young as the victim of her husband's scheme to watch her being approached by men sourced from the internet.

The barrister emphasized that the core legal question centers on whether it is ever reasonable to engage in s3xual activity with an unknown person without checking for explicit consent, or assuming consent can be given on another's behalf.

The couple married in 2004 and raised three children. To outsiders, they appeared to have a normal family life, and Joanne Young characterized her marriage as traditional and monogamous. While her husband had preferences for blindfolds and restraints during intimacy, which she did not object to, she was otherwise averse to losing control and disliked taking sleeping aids.

Suspicions and investigations began building after customs intercepted a sedative package mailed from India to Philip Young in 2015. Police inquiries later revealed evidence that Young had actively searched for substances capable of inducing deep disorientation and memory loss.

The full scale of the abuse came to light in 2023 following a night out, when Joanne Young felt an unfamiliar hand on her wrist during intimacy with her husband. Discovering a stranger in the bedroom, she retreated to the bathroom in shock.

Police subsequently launched an investigation after receiving notifications regarding extreme pornography uploads from a social media account linked to Philip Young. Officers raiding the address uncovered video recordings of Joanne Young unconscious, restrained, and blindfolded while other men engaged in sexual acts filmed by her husband.

Prosecutors noted that none of the defendants dispute that Joanne Young was non-consenting. Instead, the defense arguments rely on claims that the men allegedly believed she was consenting at the time, a defense the prosecution dismissed as a desperate attempt to evade accountability without ever verifying consent directly with the victim.

Philip Young will be sentenced following the conclusion of the trial, which continues