Husband appears in court charged with string of sex offences including drugging and raping his wife over a 13-year period
A former Tory councilor appeared in court accused of drugging and raping his ex-wife along with five men over 13 years.
Philip Young, a business consultant and father of three, is accused of 56 sexual offenses against his ex-wife Joanne Young, including multiple rapes.
Ms Young, 48, could be named as the alleged victim after choosing to waive the right to anonymity automatically granted to sexual offense complainants.
Young, 49, appeared before Swindon Magistrates’ Court today charged with 11 counts of rape, seven counts of sexual assault and four counts of sexual touching, all relating to his ex-wife.
He appeared on the dock wearing a dark sweater and jeans and crossed his arms as he confirmed his name, date of birth and address.
Young also faces 11 charges of administering a substance to Ms Young with the intent to stun or incapacitate her to ‘allow sexual activity’.
The Crown Prosecution Service said last night that the alleged crimes took place between 2010 and 2023.
Young also faces multiple charges of voyeurism and possession of indecent images of children; These include the 139 most serious photographs in category A and 82 ‘extreme’ photographs.
He was remanded in custody ahead of his next hearing at Swindon Crown Court on January 23.
Philip Young, 49, appeared in court accused of drugging and repeatedly raping his ex-wife Joanne Young, 48.
Young was also accused of a string of sexual offenses against his ex-wife, along with five other men
All six defendants will appear at Swindon Magistrates’ Court today
The other five defendants are expected to appear in the same court this afternoon.
Norman Macksoni (47), Dean Hamilton (46), Connor Sanderson-Doyle (31), Richard Wilkins (61) and Mohammed Hassan (37) are accused of rape, sexual touching, sexual intercourse and possession of extreme images.
Macksoni, of Sharnbrook, was charged with one count of rape and possession of extreme images, while Hamilton, of no fixed abode, was charged with one count of rape, sexual assault by penetration and two counts of sexual touching.
Sanderson Doyle, from Swindon, was charged with sexual assault by penetration and sexual touching, Wilkins, also from Swindon, was charged with one count of rape and sexual touching and Hassan, also from Swindon, was charged with sexual touching.
Young previously lived in the upmarket Ash Brake area of Swindon but recently moved to Enfield, north London.
He served as a Conservative councilor for the Wiltshire town for several years, rising to cabinet member for culture, regeneration and economic development, but said he left the post in 2010 to spend more time with his family.
Six months ago, Young described how she helped deliver the couple’s third child at home, minutes before paramedics arrived.
He told the Swindon Advertiser: ‘We didn’t have time to call the ambulance beforehand. It didn’t even cross my mind; It was happening and that was it.
‘It was almost commonsensical, really; he was almost trying to be realistic and reassure Jo. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t excited.
‘The main thing was communication; Talking to him about what’s going on and him telling me how he feels.’ His wife said at the time: ‘I can’t complain; He caught the baby, that’s a good thing.’
The couple has since split. One of Young’s former colleagues at Swindon told the Mail last night he was “completely shocked” by the allegations.
Young has held numerous consultancy jobs, including management, and describes himself online as an ‘experienced business leader’.
He is currently listed as chief operating officer of a London-based sales force consulting firm. He joined the business in June 2023 with ’17 years of experience in the ecosystem running his own partner consultancy,’ according to his bio on the company’s website.
He added: ‘In his history, Phil has delivered many global launches with world-class international organisations, focusing on increasing ROI (return on investment) through high adoption at launch.’
He has previously worked on projects for famous names such as Aston Martin, Unilever and BP.
His most recent posts on LinkedIn show him holding a trophy at an industry awards ceremony.
Young graduated from the University of Westminster in 1998 with a degree in business studies and previously went to school at Bishop’s Stortford.
Geoff Smith, chief detective at Wiltshire Police, said: ‘This is a significant update in a complex and extensive investigation. The victim in this case, Joanne, automatically decided to waive her legal right to anonymity.
‘He was supported by specially trained officers from the beginning of the process and made his decision after many discussions with officers and support services.’
Crown Prosecution Service specialist prosecutor James Foster said: ‘Our prosecutors worked to establish that there was sufficient evidence to charge and that it was in the public interest for the criminal investigation to continue.
‘We worked closely with Wiltshire Police as they carried out their investigation.’
