Four Men Face Trial After Ex-Husband Allegedly Posted Wife on Dating Sites

A twenty-year marriage ended in litigation after an ex-husband allegedly presented his wife as available on online platforms. The court in Winchester is currently hearing evidence that this arrangement led to multiple alleged assaults by men the couple invited into their residence.

Philip Young, 50, pleaded guilty to multiple counts of abuse. He is described by friends as a school governor and business partner who ran a venture with his wife. Despite being characterized as opinionated and arrogant, acquaintances stated he did not display obvious misogynistic behavior during social outings. However, some friends noted he frequently used his mobile phone at night, a habit that raised questions at the time.

Joanne Young, 49, testified that she and her husband were a straight, monogamous couple with three children. She recalled an early joke he made about watching her with another man, which she initially dismissed. She accepted his preference for restraints and blindfolds during their intimate time, stating, "I didn't object, it was fine." Yet she began waking up in a hazy state, restrained and blindfolded, without clear memory of how she arrived at that condition.

The jury viewed recorded video interviews on Wednesday, in which Young detailed a specific incident in February 2023. She woke up uncomfortable, removed her blindfold, and discovered a stranger in the bedroom. Philip Young instructed the man to hide, and Young later hid in the bathroom. When she confronted him the next day, he claimed he had invited the man to watch them. She believed it was a one-time occurrence and chose to move on, reasoning that one could not forgive but had to hope it would not recur.

During cross-examination, barrister Tom Godfrey suggested a touch on Young's wrist during the 2023 incident might have been bedclothes. Young disagreed, asserting, "It was a hand around my wrist." She also recalled an earlier, vague incident where she woke terrified and her husband asked, "Wouldn't you like it if somebody else was here?" She had previously attributed that night to a nightmare. On the day of his arrest, Young said her husband admitted to sharing explicit images of her, a revelation she described as a shock.

The four defendants are charged with sexually assaulting Young jointly with Philip Young. Connor Sanderson-Doyle, 32, of Swindon, denies sexual assault by penetration and touching in June 2016. Richard Wilkins, 62, of Toothill, Swindon, pleads not guilty to one count of rape and one of assault by penetration in July 2016. Norman Macksoni, 48, of Sharnbrook, Bedfordshire, denies one count of rape in February 2017. Mohammed Hassan, 38, of Swindon, pleads not guilty to one count of sexual touching in February 2023. The trial continues with Young scheduled for sentencing after the verdict.