Former Councillor Admits Drugging, Raping Ex-Partner
Philip Young's admissions follow discovery of shared intimate images and ongoing trial for other defendants.
Callum Smith
Philip Young, a former Swindon borough councillor, has admitted to repeatedly drugging and raping his former partner, Joanne Young.
Police discovered devices at Mr. Young's home in July 2023. This followed an alert to police after authorities intercepted a packet containing a sedative drug, mailed from India to Mr. Young.
Prosecutors claim Mr. Young advertised his wife on various internet platforms, including Craigslist, Grindr, and swinging websites. Sarah Jones, KC, prosecuting, stated Mr. Young sought strangers online to have sex with his wife after allegedly drugging her "into the state where anything could be done to her by whoever answered."
Ms. Jones further claims Mr. Young posted adverts on online swinging forums, inviting strangers to "come and sleep with his wife at any age, any grace." The photos he posted of her to advertise this offer reportedly showed her inanimate and tied to the bed blindfolded.
Ms. Young was exposed to sedative drugs over nearly 18 months, from April 2023 to August 2024. The nightcap she shared with her husband appeared to plunge her into a state where she would be unaware or unable to remember what transpired.
Her marriage was not what she had believed.
The first indication that "her marriage was not what she had believed" came in 2023. One night, while having sex with her husband in her bedroom, Ms. Young, blindfolded, became aware of another person's hand touching her wrist and saw a man in her bedroom.
Ms. Jones claims Mr. Young "stage managed" another person giving Ms. Young oral sex. The following morning, Mr. Young apologised, stating he had been in online forums and had invited someone to watch them have sex.
Mr. Young, however, "professed to be ignorant" and claimed he had not ordered the intercepted sedative drug. Connor Sanderson-Doyle denies charges of sexual assault by penetration and sexual touching.
Joanne Young waived her right to anonymity to allow her story to be told publicly. Sarah Jones, KC, described the profound impact on Ms. Young, stating, "The world she thought she knew had entirely tilted on its axis. The relationship she thought she had appears now to be wholly unreal – she does not even know what she doesn’t know."