Philip Young faces sentencing after ex-wife's testimony in trial of four men

Joanne Young testified that she woke up restrained and blindfolded with strangers in her bedroom, a court heard.

Philip Young, 50, has pleaded guilty to multiple counts of abuse. He is scheduled to be sentenced after the current trial concludes. Four other men stand trial on charges of sexually assaulting Young at the couple's home in Westchester.

The timeline of events began when Young and her husband married 20 years ago. The couple, who had three children, described their relationship as straight and monogamous. Young stated that her husband joked about watching her with other men early in their marriage, but she dismissed the remark. She noted that he enjoyed restraining and blindfolding her during sex, a practice she did not object to at the time.

The dynamic shifted when Young began waking up hazy and unable to recall how she became restrained. On a specific night in February 2023, she removed her blindfold and restraints because she felt uncomfortable. She discovered a stranger in her room. Philip Young instructed the man to hide, and Young hid in the bathroom until the next day. When she asked about the stranger, her husband claimed he had invited the man to watch them have sex. Young believed the incident was a one-off and chose to continue the relationship.

Years later, on the day of her husband's arrest, Young said he admitted to sharing explicit images of her online. She asked if the February 2023 incident was the only time such a thing had happened. Her husband looked at her and said no. Young then recalled a vague incident from several years prior where she woke up terrified. She remembered her husband asking, “Wouldn’t you like it if somebody else was here?” She had previously attributed the memory to a nightmare.

Winchester crown court heard that Philip Young advertised Joanne Young on dating and swinging websites. He presented the arrangement as a shared kink. The jury watched recorded video interviews of Young telling her story to police. The court also viewed videos allegedly showing three of the defendants sexually assaulting Young. The public gallery was cleared before the videos played, and some jurors appeared distressed.

Friends of the couple told the court that the pair ran a business together. Philip Young served as a school governor. Friends described him as opinionated and arrogant but not visibly misogynistic. They noted that he often checked his mobile phone during nights out, leading some to wonder about his activities.

Young gave evidence in person on Wednesday afternoon. She glanced toward the defendants in the dock while testifying. Mr Justice Saini asked her to raise her voice at one point. During cross-examination by barrister Tom Godfrey, Young confirmed that two people were in the room with her on the night in February 2023. One person touched her wrist while the other performed a sex act. Godfrey suggested the touch might have been bedclothes, but Young disagreed, stating it was a hand around her wrist.

The four defendants are charged with sexually assaulting Young jointly with Philip Young. 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 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.

Philip Young will receive his sentence after the trial of the four men concludes.