Jurors are being selected at Winchester crown court for the trial of four men charged with sexually assaulting Joanne Young, the ex-wife of Philip Young, a former Conservative councillor on Swindon borough council. Philip Young has pleaded guilty to multiple charges including voyeurism, rape and administering a substance with intent over a 13-year period.
The four defendants, Connor Sanderson-Doyle, 32, Richard Wilkins, 62, Norman Macksoni, 48, and Mohammed Hassan, 38, are accused of offences said to have taken place between the summer of 2016 and the winter of 2023. Philip Young is named in each count as having committed the alleged offence with the other men.
A panel of 14 jurors, eight men and six women, was selected on Monday. Mr Justice Saini told the panel they would have realised from a questionnaire that the case might upset them. “It’s not going to be an easy case to be a juror in,” the judge said, warning of evidence involving “graphic and sexually explicit imagery”. He asked them to reflect overnight and inform him of any concerns on Tuesday morning.
As the panel left court, one juror was seen comforting another. Outside the court, a number of women held up banners in support of the rights of female victims of sexual crimes.
Philip Young, formerly of Swindon, is to be sentenced at the conclusion of the trial, which is expected to last about four weeks. Sarah Jones KC is scheduled to open the case on Tuesday.