Local News · Swindon
Former Swindon councillor’s wife describes abuse as court trial continues
By Swindon Now Editorial Team · Published
A Swindon woman has told Winchester Crown Court how she discovered her then-husband had brought an intruder into their home to sexually assault her.
A former Swindon councillor's wife has recounted the harrowing moment she realised an intruder was inside their home while she was being restrained by her husband. Joanne Young, 49, told Winchester Crown Court that she had believed she was alone with her husband, Philip Young, 50, before discovering the presence of another man in the bedroom.
Mrs Young, who has waived her right to anonymity, described the incident as having occurred in February 2023 following an evening out with friends. She told the court she had been blindfolded and restrained when she felt an unfamiliar hand on her wrist. Upon realising someone else was present, she fled to the bathroom in a state of shock.
"I didn't know what to do as there was this man in my house and I was naked," Mrs Young said in recorded police interviews played to the jury. She recounted how she later discovered an unfamiliar car parked nearby before returning upstairs to sleep, unaware of who remained in the property. She told police that when the matter was addressed the following day, her husband admitted to inviting someone to their home to watch them have sex, claiming it was an isolated incident.
The court heard that the couple had been together for 22 years and married for 20. Philip Young, a former Conservative councillor, has pleaded guilty to 56 charges, including drugging and raping his former spouse over a 13-year period. Investigations into Young commenced in the summer of 2023 after police were alerted to extreme images uploaded to a messaging app.
Four men are currently on trial alongside Young, facing charges related to the abuse. Norman Macksoni, 48, of Bedfordshire, has denied one count of rape. Richard Wilkins, 62, of Toothill, Swindon, has pleaded not guilty to one count of rape and one count of assault by penetration. Connor Sanderson-Doyle, 32, of Swindon, has denied sexual assault by penetration and sexual touching, while Mohammed Hassan, 38, of Swindon, has pleaded not guilty to a count of sexual touching.
A sixth defendant, Dean Hamilton, 47, of Street, Somerset, has admitted to one charge of assault by penetration, two counts of sexual assault and one count of rape. The trial at Winchester Crown Court continues, and those convicted will be sentenced at its conclusion.
Source: Swindon Advertiser - Lifestyle · View original