Winchester trial: defendant thought drugged wife had consented to sex acts
Four men deny sexually abusing a woman whose husband admitted drugging and raping her. One defendant told police he believed he had her consent.
Defendant claims he believed drugged wife was consenting
One of four men standing trial at Winchester Crown Court for sexually abusing a woman whose husband had drugged her told police he believed he had her consent, bbc.co.uk reports. Connor Sanderson-Doyle, 32, of Swindon, said he left the encounter after sensing she "wasn't enjoying it".
The case centres on Philip Young, a former Conservative councillor for Swindon, who has already admitted to drugging and raping his now ex-wife Joanne over a 13-year period. Young is alleged to have recruited four men to abuse Joanne at the couple's home. Those men are now on trial, each denying the charges against them.
The Wiltshire Police investigation began after Young posted extreme pornographic images online. Officers visited him on 4 July 2023 following reports of three extreme images depicting bestiality. A search of his devices uncovered "intimate" videos showing Joanne restrained and blindfolded while men engaged in sexual acts with her. Joanne — who has waived her legal right to anonymity — told police the acts were carried out without her knowledge or consent.
"I thought I had her consent"
In a police interview transcript read to the jury, Sanderson-Doyle said he had responded to an advert Young placed on Craigslist, which described a woman available for sex. He told officers he believed it was "just a married couple trying to live out whatever their kink is" and that he was "just a young guy trying out new things."
When he arrived at the house, Young led him to the bedroom where Joanne was "tied up and blindfolded," as she had been pictured in the online advertisement. Sanderson-Doyle said he began to perform a sex act on Joanne but noticed "a clear line where I could tell she wasn't comfortable," at which point Young said: "I don't think she's feeling it."
Sanderson-Doyle told police: "I thought I had her consent, I didn't know she was drugged." He said he had believed Joanne was consenting because she seemed "relaxed," was moving, and "didn't seem distressed at all." When asked by the detective whether he had taken steps to obtain her consent directly, he replied: "Yeah I think so, from the conversations I had with him and what I walked into, I thought I had consent from them."
Sanderson-Doyle denies sexual assault by penetration and sexual touching in 2016.
Other defendants' accounts
The jury also heard from the police interview of Norman Macksoni, 48, of Sharnbrook, Bedfordshire, who denies one count of rape in 2017. Macksoni told police that Young had contacted him through a website called Fab Swingers and that he understood he was participating in a couple's "fantasy." He said that when he entered the bedroom, Young sat beside Joanne on the bed and spoke to her. Macksoni told police he had sex with Joanne, then left without further interaction.
"But there was no way that she was drunk or wasn't coherent," he said. "I wouldn't be sleeping with someone who wasn't coherent, I wouldn't do that, that's not what Fab Swingers is about." He added that in previous arrangements with couples, "it's normally the husband that does the talking."
The jury also watched video footage of the arrest of Richard Wilkins, 62, of Toothill, Swindon, who denies one count of rape and one of assault by penetration in 2016. The fourth defendant is Mohammed Hassan, 38, of Swindon, who denies one count of sexual touching in 2023.
The court was cleared at an earlier stage so that only the jury, defendants, barristers and Joanne could view footage of the alleged abuse by three of the defendants.
Young's admissions and a sixth defendant
Young previously pleaded guilty to 48 offences against his ex-wife, including rape, voyeurism, administering a substance with intent, assault by penetration and sexual assault. He also admitted three charges of making indecent images of children, one of possessing prohibited images of children, and four of possessing an extreme pornographic image.
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. Both Young and Hamilton are due to be sentenced at the conclusion of the trial, which is expected to last up to four weeks.
Joanne Young said that learning her husband had shared images of her online felt like a "kick in the stomach" that left her in "shock and utter confusion."
Warning: This article contains distressing details relating to sexual violence.
Source: Google News UK — Crime (en)