Five men have appeared in court accused of sex offences against the wife of a former Tory councillor who is charged with drugging and raping her over a 13-year period.
Business consultant Philip Young, a father-of-three, is accused of 56 sexual offences, including multiple counts of rape, against his former wife, Joanne Young.
Ms Young, 48, can be named as the alleged victim after choosing to waive her right to anonymity, which is granted automatically to sexual offence complainants.
Norman Macksoni, 47, Dean Hamilton, 47, Connor Sanderson-Doyle, 31, Richard Wilkins, 61, and Mohammed Hassan, 37, have been charged with offences including rape, sexual touching, sexual penetration and possession of extreme images.
Several of the men covered their faces as they arrived at Swindon Crown Court.
Macksoni, of Sharnbrook, has been charged with one count of rape and possession of extreme images. He appeared in court wearing a dark three-piece suit and tie, along with a dark baseball cap. He indicated a plea of not guilty.
Hamilton, of no fixed abode, has been charged with one count of rape and sexual assault by penetration and two counts of sexual touching. He appeared in court wearing a white sweater and light trousers and indicated a plea of not guilty.
Sanderson-Doyle, from Swindon, has been charged with sexual assault by penetration and sexual touching. He appeared in court with his long black hair tied in a ponytail, with a beige knitwear jumper and dark trousers and said he would not be providing an indication of plea.
Wilkins, from Swindon, has been charged with one count of rape and sexual touching. He appeared in court wearing a dark hooded jacket and did not indicate a plea.
Hassan, also from Swindon, has been charged with sexual touching on February 18 2023. Wearing spectacles and a dark hooded raincoat, he did not provide an indication of plea.
They were all granted conditional bail until January 23 when they will appear alongside Young at Swindon Crown Court.
Young, 49, earlier appeared before Swindon Magistrates’ Court today charged with 11 counts of rape, seven counts of sexual assault, and four counts of sexual touching, all involving his ex-wife.
He appeared in the dock in a dark jumper and jeans and stood cross-armed as he confirmed his name, date of birth and address.
Norman Macksoni (left) is charged with one count of rape and possession of extreme images, while Connor Sanderson-Doyle (right) has been charged with sexual assault by penetration and sexual touching
Dean Hamilton has been charged with one count of rape and sexual assault by penetration and two counts of sexual touching
Richard Wilkins is charged with one count of rape and sexual touching
Mohammed Hassan has been charged with sexual touching on February 18 2023
Philip Young, 49, has appeared in court charged with drugging and repeatedly raping his ex-wife Joanne Young, 48
Young, seen here in a court sketch, appeared before Swindon Magistrates’ Court today charged with 11 counts of rape, seven counts of sexual assault, and four counts of sexual touching, all involving his ex-wife
When asked if he wished to indicate a plea at this stage, he shook his head.
Young is also facing 11 counts of administering a substance with intent to stupefy or overpower Ms Young ‘to allow sexual activity’.
The alleged offences took place between 2010 and 2023, the Crown Prosecution Service said last night.
Young also faces multiple counts of voyeurism and possession of indecent images of children – including 139 of the most serious, category A, and 82 ‘extreme’ images.
He was remanded in custody ahead of his next appearance alongside the other five defendants at Swindon Crown Court on January 23.
Chairman of the bench Martin Clarke told him: ‘Your cases are indictable so they can only ever be heard in the crown court, therefore we are going to send these matters to the crown court.’
Young previously lived in the up-market Ash Brake area of Swindon, but has more recently moved to Enfield, north London.
He was a Conservative councillor in the Wiltshire town for several years, rising to be cabinet member for culture, regeneration and economic development, but in 2010 he said he was stepping down to spend more time with family.
Six months earlier, Young described how he helped deliver the couple’s third child at home minutes before paramedics could arrive.
Young was charged with a string of sexual offences against his ex-wife alongside the five other men
A prison van arriving at Swindon Magistrates’ Court today ahead of Philip Young’s first appearance
He told the Swindon Advertiser: ‘We didn’t have time to ring an ambulance beforehand. It didn’t cross my mind – it was happening and that was it.
‘It was almost common sense really – it was almost trying to be quite matter of fact and give Jo confidence. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous.
‘The main thing was communication – to talk her through what was happening and her to tell me what she was feeling.’ His wife said at the time: ‘I can’t complain – he caught the baby so that’s good.’
The couple have since split up. One of Young’s former colleagues in Swindon last night told the Mail he was ‘in total shock’ at the allegations.
Young has been involved in multiple consultancy businesses, including as a director, and describes himself online as an ‘experienced business leader’.
He is currently listed as the chief operating officer for a salesforce consultancy firm based in London. He joined the business in June 2023 with ’17 years’ experience in the ecosystem running his own partner consultancy’, according to his biography on the company website.
It added: ‘In his past, Phil has run many global rollouts with blue-chip international organisations with a focus on increasing ROI (return on investment) through high adoption at launch.’
He previously worked on projects for household names including Aston Martin, Unilever, and BP.
His most recent posts on LinkedIn show him holding a trophy at an industry awards ceremony.
Young graduated with a business studies degree from the University of Westminster in 1998, and previously went to school in Bishop’s Stortford.
Geoff Smith, a detective superintendent at Wiltshire Police, said: ‘This is a significant update in what is a complex and extensive investigation. The victim in this case, Joanne, has taken the decision to waive her automatic legal right to anonymity.
‘She has been supported by specially trained officers from the beginning of the process and she has made the decision following multiple discussions with officers and support services.’
James Foster, specialist prosecutor for the Crown Prosecution Service, said: ‘Our prosecutors have worked to establish that there is sufficient evidence to charge and that it is in the public interest to pursue criminal proceedings.
‘We have worked closely with Wiltshire Police as they carried out their investigation.’
