Man denies knowing woman had been drugged before alleged assault
A jury at Winchester Crown Court has heard that Connor Sanderson-Doyle told police he did not know Joanne Young had been drugged when he sexually assaulted her in 2016. He said he believed the encounter was consensual and stopped when he thought she was uncomfortable. The case is part of a trial examining whether four men knowingly took part in assaults arranged by her husband.
Philip Young, a former Tory councillor, has admitted nearly 50 sex offences against his wife over 13 years and is due to be sentenced after the trial. The four defendants, aged 32 to 62, deny offences including rape and sexual assault between 2016 and 2023; prosecutors say the effects of drugs on Ms Young were apparent, while the men are expected to argue they believed she consented. The trial is expected to last four weeks.
In short
- Sanderson-Doyle said he did not know Joanne Young had been drugged.
- Her husband has admitted nearly 50 sex offences against her.
- Four men deny charges linked to alleged assaults from 2016 to 2023.
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
The defence case is that Sanderson-Doyle believed the encounter was consensual and stopped when he thought Young was uncomfortable. If he was unaware she had been drugged and had no reason to recognise that she could not consent, that would be central to whether he knowingly committed an offence.
The case against
The prosecution case is that Young had been drugged and the effects were apparent, so the circumstances should have alerted Sanderson-Doyle that she could not freely consent. A belief in consent would not be reasonable if he ignored signs of impairment or failed to check that she was able to agree.
Explained simply
The case concerns allegations that Joanne Young was drugged and sexually assaulted over a number of years. Her husband, Philip Young, has admitted nearly 50 sexual offences against her spanning 13 years.
Four other men deny offences alleged to have taken place between 2016 and 2023. Prosecutors say the men could see the effects of drugs on Ms Young; the defendants are expected to say they believed she had agreed to sex.
The trial is examining whether the men knowingly took part in assaults arranged by Philip Young. The central issue is what each defendant knew about Ms Young’s condition and whether she consented.
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Originally published by Daily Mail as “Man accused of sexually assaulting wife of Tory councillor told police he ‘did not know’ she’d been drugged by husband, court hears”.