UK man drugged and raped wife for years, advertised her online to strangers, court hears

Philip Young earlier this year pleaded guilty to multiple sexual offences — including rape, voyeurism and administering a substance with intent to stupefy or overpower — against Joanne Young, who has waived her right to anonymity. — Pexels pic

First Published: Wednesday, 28 Oct 2026 9:08 AM MYT

WINCHESTER, Oct 28 — A British man who drugged and raped his then-wife over 13 years had advertised on sites like Craigslist and Grindr for strangers to have sex with her without her consent, a UK court heard Tuesday.

Philip Young earlier this year pleaded guilty to multiple sexual offences — including rape, voyeurism and administering a substance with intent to stupefy or overpower — against Joanne Young, who has waived her right to anonymity.

Four men, aged between 32 and 62, are on trial at a court in southern England, having denied sexual offences jointly committed with her husband against Joanne Young.

Two of them face charges of rape and two face lesser sexual assault charges.

The alleged offences occurred between 2016 and 2023.

“Mr Young had advertised her on Craigslist, Grindr and swinging websites — he sought strangers to come and sleep with his wife,” prosecutor Sarah Jones told Winchester Crown Court.

Young presented the proposition as a “kink” for the couple and appeared to suggest she would be in “a state where anything could be done to her by whoever answered and she would be unaware or unable to remember”, Jones said.

The court heard that since 2015 Young had sought drugs that could put his wife “into a deep sleep where she would be disorientated, unaware of her surroundings and unlikely to be able to recall what happened”.

Police uncovered the case after Philip Young was flagged for uploading extreme images online, Jones said.

Searching his property and devices later, police found videos of Joanne Young restrained in bed “whilst other men engaged in sexual activity with her”.

According to Jones, three of the defendants appear in the videos.

‘Evidently asleep’ 

One of them, Richard Wilkins, 62, is accused of raping her while she was “not capable of giving” consent.

In a video taken the night of the alleged offence in 2016, the prosecutor said Joanne Young appears “shackled to the bed” where she can be “heard snoring”.

“She is quite evidently asleep,” Jones said.

In another count accusing 48-year-old Norman Macksoni of rape, the prosecutor said Joanne Young’s participation is “wholly akin to what you might expect if someone were drugged”.

Philip Young appeared to be “stage managing” strangers in the bedroom while his wife was in a drowsy or stupefied state, the prosecution said.

The prosecutor said that while the defendants may not have seen Young administer sedatives, the men “could patently see its effect”.

Young, 50, who is reportedly a former Conservative party councillor, pleaded guilty in January to 48 charges including 11 counts of rape and 11 of administering a substance with intent.

A sixth defendant, Dean Hamilton, 47, also previously admitted to rape and sexual assault linked to this case.

He and Young will be sentenced at the end of the current trial.

Some protesters had gathered outside the court Tuesday for the trial — expected to last four weeks — holding signs condemning sexual violence.

There are multiple cases currently in UK courts of alleged drug-facilitated sexual assault, with awareness of the crime growing following the unrelated high-profile 2024 French trial of Dominique Pelicot.

He was found guilty of secretly drugging his wife, Gisele, for years and inviting scores of men to rape her while she was unconscious.

Gisele Pelicot also waived her right to anonymity in that trial to raise awareness about sexual violence. — AFP