Blindfolded wife 'felt stranger's hand' during sex with husband, court told
Joanne Young tells Winchester Crown Court she was restrained and blindfolded while her then-husband allowed others to abuse her
Quick Look
- Joanne Young testified at Winchester Crown Court that she discovered a stranger in her bedroom while restrained and blindfolded by her then-husband, Philip Young.
- Four men are currently on trial for allegedly participating in the abuse.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
Philip Young, a former Conservative councillor, has admitted to numerous sexual offenses against his ex-wife. Four men are currently standing trial for their alleged roles in the abuse.
A woman said she ran into and locked herself in a bathroom after realising her then-husband had allowed someone else in the bedroom while she was blindfolded and having sex, a jury has heard.
In a police interview played at Winchester Crown Court, Joanne Young said she was restrained when she felt a hand on her wrist which she believed did not belong to her now ex-husband Philip Young.
Joanne - who has waived her right to anonymity - said Young, who has admitted drugging and raping her, later apologised and told her he had invited someone to watch the couple have sex after browsing online forums.
Four men who Young is alleged to have recruited to abuse his wife at their home are now on trial.
Warning: This story contains distressing details
On the second day of the four men's trial, two police interviews with Joanne were played to the court.
Joanne said the incident had happened after a night out with drinking friends in February 2023.
"I can't remember all of it," she told police.
Joanne said at "some point after after he [Young] had come upstairs" she "had the blindfold on and the restraints".
When she felt the hand, she said she took off the blindfold she was wearing and her husband said "get down" to someone.
Young, a former Conservative Swindon councillor, 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.
He also published more than 500 intimate images and videos of his ex-wife and recorded her doing private acts for his own sexual gratification without her consent between 2010 and 2024.
A sixth defendant, Dean Hamilton, 47, of Street, Somerset, has admitted one charge of assault by penetration, two of sexual assault and one of rape.
Young and Hamilton will be sentenced at the end of the trial, which is expected to last up to four weeks.
What to Watch
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
Sentencing for Young and Hamilton at the end of the four-week trial.
Very likely · Within weeks
Open Questions
- What will be the final verdicts for the four men on trial?
- What sentences will Philip Young and Dean Hamilton receive?
