Briton Philip Young, 49, was formally accused this Monday of having drugged and raped his wife for thirteen consecutive years. And as in the Pélicot affair which shocked French society, he did not do it alone. Five other men abused the woman with Young’s complicity. All face more than sixty sex crimes against Young’s now ex-wife, whose last name is still retained, Joanna Young.
The main defendant was a Conservative Party councilor on Swindon council between 2007 and 2010. He headed the Department for Culture, Regeneration and Economic Development. Young alone faces 56 charges of sexual assault, allegedly committed between 2010 and 2023, including multiple rapes, administering substances to control his partner, breach of privacy (which in the UK falls under the express criminal category of “voyeurism”) and possession of indecent images of minors and extreme images, as reported by Wiltshire Police.
The other five defendants are Norman Macksoni, 47, charged with one count of rape and possession of extreme images; Dean Hamilton, also aged 47 and of no fixed address, charged with rape, penetrative sexual assault and two counts of touching; Conner Sanderson Doyle, 31, charged with sexual assault involving penetration and touching; Richard Wilkins, 61, charged with one count of rape and sexual assault; and Mohammed Hassan, 37, accused of touching.
Philip Young, in custody, and the rest of the defendants, on bail, are due to appear at a court in Swindon, southwest England, on Tuesday.
Detective Superintendent Geoff Smith said in a statement that this was “an important development in a complex and extensive investigation” and stressed that the victim had specialist support from the start of the process.
Joanne Young, 48, has waived her right to anonymity, meaning the press can disclose her identity and other personal details in what is expected to be a public interest trial like the Pelicot case.
Telephone 016 assists victims of gender-based violence, their families and those around them 24 hours a day, every day of the year, in 53 different languages. The number is not listed on the phone bill, but the call should be deleted from the device. You can also contact by email 016-online@igualdad.gob.es and by WhatsApp at the number 600 000 016. Minors can contact the ANAR Foundation telephone number 900 20 20 10. If it is an emergency situation, you can call 112 or the telephone numbers of the National Police (091) and the Civil Guard (062). And if you can’t call, you can use the ALERTCOPS application, from which an alert signal is sent to the Police with geolocation.
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