Jurors being selected for the trial of four men accused of sexually assaulting the ex-wife of a former Conservative councillor, who has admitted repeatedly drugging and raping her, have been warned the case is likely to be upsetting.
Philip Young, 50, has pleaded guilty to multiple charges of abuse against his former wife, Joanne Young, who has waived her right to anonymity.
A jury at Winchester crown court will this week begin hearing the trial of four other men charged with sexually assaulting Joanne Young.
The alleged offences carried out by the four – Connor Sanderson-Doyle, 32, Richard Wilkins, 62, Norman Macksoni, 48, and Mohammed Hassan, 38 – are said to have taken place between the summer of 2016 and the winter of 2023.
Philip Young is named in each of the counts as having committed the alleged offence with the other men.
A jury panel-in-waiting of 14 – eight men and six women – was randomly selected on Monday to hear the case. After they were brought into court, they were asked to look at the defendants in the dock to check if they recognised them.
Mr Justice Saini told the jury they would have realised from a questionnaire they had been asked to fill in that the case they were to hear might upset them.
He told them it would involve evidence and videos involving “graphic and sexually explicit imagery” that some people could find upsetting. “It’s not going to be an easy case to be a juror in,” the judge said.
Saini asked the panel to reflect overnight if they had any concerns and to let him know on Tuesday morning.
The judge also warned the potential jurors not to do any research about the case or discuss it with anyone else. As the panel left the court, one juror could be seen comforting another.
Young, formerly of Swindon, has previously admitted offences including voyeurism, rape and administering a substance with intent. He had pleaded guilty to offences over a 13-year period.
Young is to be sentenced at the conclusion of the trial, which is expected to last about four weeks.
Born in Enfield in June 1976, Young graduated from the University of Westminster in 1998. He was a Conservative councillor on Swindon borough council from 2007 to 2010.
He resigned as the cabinet member for culture, regeneration and economic development in May 2010 to devote more time to his family and run his own business, the Swindon Advertiser reported.
On the first day of the trial of the four men, a number of women stood outside the court holding up banners in support of the rights of female victims of sexual crimes.
Sarah Jones KC is scheduled to open the case on Tuesday.
The trial continues.
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