Joanne Young identifies stranger in bedroom during trial of four men
The 49-year-old told Winchester crown court she was restrained and blindfolded on multiple nights while her ex-husband invited men into their home.
By Aiko Nakamura ·
Joanne Young, 49, identified a stranger in her bedroom during cross-examination at Winchester crown court on Wednesday. She is the victim in a case involving four men charged with sexually assaulting her after her ex-husband invited them into their family home.
Philip Young, 50, has pleaded guilty to multiple abuse charges. He advertised his wife on dating and swinging websites, presenting the arrangement as a shared kink. The four men currently on trial face counts of rape, sexual assault by penetration, and sexual touching between June 2016 and February 2023.
Young told the jury she and her husband were a monogamous couple for 20 years. She described waking up in the middle of the night feeling hazy, with a blindfold on and restraints in place. She said she did not always remember how the restraints were applied.
During one incident in February 2023, Young removed the blindfold and saw a man in the room. She said her husband told the man to get down and then left the room. Young hid in the bathroom and later asked her husband who the man was. He told her he had invited someone to watch them have sex.
Young said she believed it was a one-off event and continued the marriage. On the day of her husband's arrest, he admitted to sharing explicit images of her. When she asked if the February incident was the only time a stranger was present, he looked at her and said no.
Friends of the couple told the court that Philip Young was opinionated and often checked his phone on nights out. The jury viewed recorded video interviews with Young and video footage allegedly showing three of the defendants assaulting her. The public gallery was cleared before the videos were played.
The defendants are Connor Sanderson-Doyle, 32, of Swindon; Richard Wilkins, 62, of Toothill; Norman Macksoni, 48, of Sharnbrook; and Mohammed Hassan, 38, of Swindon. All four have pleaded not guilty to their respective charges. Joanne Young will be sentenced after the trial concludes.
Source: The Guardian
