Four men go on trial over alleged sexual assaults on Joanne Young

Norman Macksoni, Richard Wilkins, Connor Sanderson-Doyle and Mohammed Hassan went on trial at Winchester Crown Court on Tuesday, 27 October 2026. They deny sexual offences against Joanne Young, whose former husband, Philip Young, has admitted drugging and raping her.

Opening the prosecution case, Sarah Jones KC said Philip Young had advertised his then-wife on Craigslist, Grindr and swingers’ websites, presenting encounters with strangers as a shared sexual preference. She said he gave Joanne Young drugs that left her unaware of, or unable to remember, what happened. Joanne Young has waived her right to anonymity.

The charges against the four men concern separate incidents. Macksoni denies rape in 2017. Wilkins denies rape and assault by penetration in 2016; Sanderson-Doyle denies assault by penetration and sexual touching in 2016; and Hassan denies sexual touching in 2023.

Jones said police had seized footage featuring Macksoni, Wilkins and Sanderson-Doyle, and described to jurors what she said it showed. Sky News reported that there was no video of the alleged incident involving Hassan. For that charge, the prosecution referred to messages between Hassan and Philip Young and Joanne Young’s recollection of another man in the room. Jurors were told they would be shown the footage later in the trial.

According to Sky News, Macksoni, Wilkins and Sanderson-Doyle are expected to argue that they believed Joanne Young was consenting and that their belief was reasonable. Mr Justice Saini told jurors that none of the four is accused of giving her drugs or being present when they were administered. Prosecutors say the effects were apparent.

Philip Young pleaded guilty in January to 48 offences against his former wife, including 11 counts of rape and 11 of administering a substance to enable sexual activity. He admitted eight further offences involving prohibited images in May. The judge told jurors that Young’s guilty pleas were not evidence of the four defendants’ guilt. A fifth man, Dean Hamilton, has separately admitted sexual offences against Joanne Young. Young and Hamilton are due to be sentenced after the trial.