British man accused of repeatedly drugging and raping his ex-wife for 13 years

A British man has been accused of repeatedly drugging and raping a woman who is now his ex-wife of 13 years, officials said Monday. Five other men were also charged with sexual offenses against the same woman.

Philip Young, formerly of Swindon but now living in Enfield, was charged with 56 sexual offences, including multiple counts of rape and administering a substance with intent to “stupefy” Joanne Young, 48, between 2010 and 2023, the Crown Prosecution Service and Wiltshire Police said in a joint statement.

While British law automatically protects the identity of victims of sex crimes, Joanne Young voluntarily waived this right.

“She requested to be named in this press release and is supported by specially trained officers and partner agencies,” the agencies said in their statement.

Phillip Young, still in custody, was also charged with voyeurism, possession of indecent images of children and possession of extreme images, according to CBS News’ sister network. BBC News reported.

The date of the Youngs’ divorce was not immediately made clear.

The other five men accused of sexual offenses against Joanne Young have been released on bail, police said.

The six men are due to appear at Swindon Magistrates’ Court in south-west England on Tuesday. It was not immediately clear whether they had legal representation.

Last year in France, Gisèle Pelicotex-husband and dozens of other men were found guilty of sexually assaulting her between 2011 and 2020. In a historic verdict that attracted international attention, Dominique Pelicot – who admitted for drugging and raping Gisèle repeatedly over nearly a decade and inviting dozens of other men to attack her as well – was sentenced to 20 years in prison, while sentences for most of the other defendants ranged from three to 15 years in prison.