Four men face trial after ex-husband admitted to sharing intimate photos

Joanne Young told Winchester crown court on Wednesday that she woke up in the middle of the night restrained and blindfolded, only to discover a stranger in her bedroom. The 49-year-old woman, who was married to Philip Young for 20 years, described feeling hazy and terrified during these incidents. Her then husband, who has pleaded guilty to multiple charges of abuse, allegedly arranged for the four defendants to enter the marital home.

The trial centers on four men accused of sexually assaulting Young while she was with her ex-husband. Philip Young, 50, advertised his wife on dating and swinging websites, presenting the arrangement as a shared kink. The four defendants stand accused of joint sexual assault with Young. Connor Sanderson-Doyle, 32, of Swindon, denies sexual assault by penetration and sexual touching in June 2016. Richard Wilkins, 62, of Toothill, Swindon, has pleaded not guilty to rape and assault by penetration in July 2016. Norman Macksoni, 48, of Sharnbrook, Bedfordshire, denies rape in February 2017. Mohammed Hassan, 38, of Swindon, has pleaded not guilty to sexual touching in February 2023.

Young stated that she and her husband were a monogamous couple with three children. She recalled an early joke about watching her during sex, which she laughed off. While she did not object to him restraining and blindfolding her during consensual sex, she noted that she sometimes woke up without remembering how the restraints had been applied. On a specific night in February 2023, she removed the blindfold to find a stranger in the room. Her husband told the other person to get down and ducked out of sight.

Young hid in a bathroom and asked her husband the next day what had happened. He claimed he had invited someone to watch them have sex and insisted it was a one-off incident. She chose to ignore the event, hoping it would not recur. After his arrest, Young said her husband admitted he had shared explicit images of her. She described the revelation as a kick in the stomach and asked if the February incident was the only time. He looked at her and said no.

During cross-examination, barrister Tom Godfrey suggested that a touch on Young's wrist during the February incident might have been bedclothes. She disagreed, stating it was a hand. Young also recalled a vague incident years prior where she woke up terrified and said no. Her husband asked if she would like it if somebody else was there. She had assumed it was a nightmare the following day.

Jury members watched recorded video interviews of Young telling her story to police. They also viewed videos recorded by Philip Young that allegedly showed three of the defendants assaulting her. Some jurors appeared distressed, and the public gallery was cleared before the footage played. Friends of the couple testified that they ran a business together and that Philip Young was a school governor. They described him as opinionated and arrogant but not misogynistic, noting he often used his mobile phone on nights out.

Mr Justice Saini presided over the proceedings. Young gave evidence in person on Wednesday afternoon, occasionally glancing at the defendants in the dock. The judge asked her to raise her voice at one point. Philip Young will be sentenced after the trial concludes.