Joanne Young, 49, and a mother of three, would wake up restrained, unable to remember what had happened during the night. For 13 years, she had no idea that her husband, Philip Young, was drugging her so that other men could abuse her.
He, a 50-year-old Conservative councillor on Swindon Council, advertised her on Craigslist, Grindr and swinging sites, prosecutors told Winchester Crown Court. Police tracked him down after a report that he was sharing sexual images online. At his home and on his devices, they found videos of Joanne restrained on a bed.
In January, Young pleaded guilty to 48 of 56 charges, including 11 counts of rape. Four men aged between 32 and 62 are now on trial for acts that took place between 2016 and 2023. All four deny the charges. According to the prosecutor, three of them appear in the recordings.
Joanne gave up her right to anonymity and testified before the jury. How many warning signs can be ignored for 13 years when the perpetrator sleeps in the same bed?