Men abused woman advertised by husband, court told

Four men sexually assaulted a woman after her then-husband drugged her and advertised her on Craigslist, Grindr and swinging websites, a court has been told.

Norman Macksoni, 48, Richard Wilkins, 62, Connor Sanderson-Doyle, 32, and Mohammed Hassan, 38, are on trial at Winchester Crown Court after pleading not guilty to sexual offences against Joanne Young.

They are charged jointly with her ex-husband Philip Young, 50, a former Conservative councillor, who has admitted to drugging and raping her over 13 years.

As the trial began, prosecutor Sarah Jones KC told the jury: "This case is about whether it is ever reasonable to have sex with an unknown woman without checking with her first."

Warning: This story contains distressing details

Joanne Young, who has waived her right to anonymity, told police that to her knowledge she had a "fairly normal" and "always monogamous" sex life with her husband.

But on one occasion in 2023, she said she had woken up with restraints and a blindfold on while a man was carrying out a sexual act on her.

Jones told the jury Joanne had believed her husband was performing the sexual act on her when in reality he was "stage managing another unknown person" who was "taking his place without her knowledge".

Jones told the jury Young had advertised Joanne online, seeking "strangers to come and sleep with his wife".

"He presented it as a kink for both of them, but there was no information from Joanne herself to support this and the photos he posted of her to advertise his offer showed her inanimate and tied to the bed blindfolded," Jones told the court.

"The nightcap they shared, it appeared, would be used to plunge her into a state where anything could be done to her by whoever answered and she would be unaware or unable to remember."

Sanderson-Doyle, of Swindon, denies sexual assault by penetration and sexual touching during an incident in 2016.

The court was told he had responded to an advert on Craigslist.

Jones said there was a video which showed Sanderson-Doyle wearing a balaclava while touching Joanne, who was shackled to a bed.

The video later showed Joanne protesting and Sanderson-Doyle apologising before continuing to touch her.

Jones told the jury Sanderson-Doyle had made "no further enquiry" that what he was doing was "welcome or acceptable" and had only stopped when Young said "No, let go".

The court heard this had prompted Young to stop filming before showing Sanderson-Doyle the door.

Jones said Sanderson-Doyle had said he believed Joanne had consented and he thought the married couple were "trying to live out whatever their kink" was.

Macksoni, of Sharnbrook, Bedfordshire, has denied one count of rape in 2017.

Jones told the jury Macksoni had been filmed having sex with Young, who was blindfolded and shackled to the bed and whose "less than wholehearted" participation" was "wholly akin to what you might expect if someone were drugged".

The court heard the video showed Young reassuring his then-wife, whose speech was "slurred and confused" that she was not being recorded.

Jones told the jury Macksoni had "not uttered one word to Joanne Young through the almost seven minutes of recording that he is in the room with her".

Jones said when interviewed by police, Macksoni had said he believed Joanne and Young had consented.

Wilkins, of Toothill, Swindon, Wiltshire, has pleaded not guilty to one count of rape and one of assault by penetration in 2016.

Jones told the jury a video showed Wilkins touching Joanne "without any attempt to rouse or have a word with her".

Naked, blindfolded and shackled to the bed, Joanne can be heard snoring and is "quite evidently asleep", the court was told.

Wilkins exchanged whispers with Young about what to do, before penetrating her and shooting a "triumphant grin" at him over his shoulder, the court heard.

"The notion of checking with the woman who is so out of it she is snoring never seems to enter the minds of either," Jones told the jury, adding: "They have no interest in her consent."

Jones said Wilkins had denied the offences and had answered no comment in police interview.

Mohammed Hassan, of Swindon, has pleaded not guilty to one count of sexual touching in 2023.

There is no video evidence of the incident, but Hassan was traced through messages with Young on Grindr inviting him to come over to the couple's home where Joanne would be tied up and "falling asleep", the court heard.

Joanne recalled becoming aware there was another man in the room when she believed a sexual act was being carried out by her husband, the court heard.

The jury was told Young had apologised in a message to Hassan the following day, saying his wife had "freaked out".

Jones said Hassan had denied the charge and did not answer questions in police interview.

Jones said the men could not have reasonably believed at the time that Joanne was consenting because of the state she was in and the circumstances.

"They took what her husband was offering out to them without ever checking for a second with the woman herself whether she was OK with it," she told the jury.

"They did not ask because they did not want it to be unambiguously clear Joanne was unaware of what was happening and unable to express her true thoughts and feelings.

"They wanted to enact their fantasy and Phil Young's fantasy and they did not care about Joanne's feelings at all."

Young has admitted 14 counts of voyeurism, 11 of rape, 11 of administering a substance with intent, seven of assault by penetration, four of sexual assault and one of publishing an obscene article.

The former councillor also published more than 500 intimate images and videos of his ex-wife and recorded her doing private acts for his own sexual gratification without her consent between 2010 and 2024.

A sixth defendant, Dean Hamilton, 47, of Street, Somerset, has admitted one charge of assault by penetration, two of sexual assault and one of rape.

Young and Hamilton will be sentenced at the end of the trial, which is expected to last up to four weeks.

The trial continues.

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