UK man pleads guilty to drugging, raping ex-wife over 13 years

A British man pleaded guilty to drugging and raping his ex-wife over a 13-year-period at a UK court on Friday.

Philip Young, 49, admitted 48 of the 56 charges including counts of rape, voyeurism and administering a substance with intent to stupify or overpower.

He pleaded guilty to the charges at Winchester Crown Court in southeast England, in front of his ex-wife Joanne Young, 48, who has waived her legal right to anonymity and was present at the hearing.

The offences allegedly took place between 2010 and 2023.

Philip Young, who is also reportedly a former Conservative councillor, denied charges of possession of indecent images of children and extreme images.

"We worked closely with Wiltshire police to build a thorough and compelling case that resulted in him pleading guilty to dozens of offences today," said prosecutor James Foster.

Five other men aged between 31 and 61 also appeared at the criminal court on Friday, charged with various sexual offences against Joanne Young.

Four out of five of them have pleaded not guilty. The fifth man has not yet entered a plea.

Wiltshire Police detective superintendent Geoff Smith said in a statement in December that the case stemmed from a "complex and extensive investigation".

After Friday’s plea, Smith called the hearing a "significant landmark" and paid tribute to Joanne Young’s "incredible bravery".

"The victim in this case, Joanne, has taken the decision to waive her automatic legal right to anonymity," he said.

The case bears echo of a totally separate, unrelated 2024 trial in France in which Gisele Pelicot waived her right to anonymity to raise awareness about sexual violence.