A former Conservative councillor who drugged and raped his ex-wife has admitted making indecent images of children. Father-of-three Philip Young previously pleaded guilty to 48 sex offences, including repeatedly raping his former wife Joanne Young, 48, over a 13-year period.
Change of plea
He had denied eight child abuse and extreme porn charges. But today, Young backtracked and changed his plea to guilty via a videolink at Winchester Crown Court from HMP Winchester. Wearing a grey prison-issue T-shirt, he pleaded guilty to three charges of making indecent images of children and one count of possessing a prohibited image of a child, and four charges of possessing extreme pornographic images.
The court heard the offences related to 230 child abuse images and took place between 2010 and 2024. It means that the former councillor has admitted all 56 offences against him.
Earlier admissions
Earlier this year, Young admitted 48 offences against his ex-wife, Ms Young, who can be named after she bravely waived her right to anonymity. She was present to witness her former spouse admit his crimes against her in January, supported by her sister and a member of Witness Support.
The disgraced business consultant admitted to 11 counts of rape, seven charges of sexual assault and four counts of sexual touching, all involving his ex-wife. Young also admitted to raping his wife with an unidentified man between April and May 2022.
He also admitted to multiple counts of voyeurism, including secretly recording his unsuspecting wife during private acts more than 200 times for his sexual gratification between January 2010 and July 2024. Young also pleaded guilty to publishing obscene material, including non-consensual intimate photographs and videos of Ms Young, more than 500 times.
Political background
He had served as a Conservative Swindon Borough Councillor for Covingham and Nythe between 2007 and 2010, rising to be a cabinet member. But in 2010, the year when the abuse is believed to have begun, Young announced he was stepping down in order to spend more time with his family.
Young was formerly a council cabinet member for culture, regeneration and economic development, but in 2010 he said he was stepping down to spend more time with family. Six months earlier, he described how he helped deliver the couple's third child at home minutes before paramedics could arrive. The couple have since split up.
Co-defendants
Five other men were charged alongside Young. Norman Macksoni, Wood End Close in Sharnbrook, Bedfordshire, and Dean Hamilton, of no fixed abode, both 47, and Richard Wilkins, 61, of Toothill, Swindon, have all been charged with one count of rape. Macksoni was also charged with one count of possessing extreme pornographic images.
Connor Sanderson Doyle, 31, of Crofton Road, Swindon, is charged with sexual assault by penetration and sexual touching. Mohammed Hassan, 37, of Torun Way in Swindon, is charged with sexual touching. All the defendants except for Young are on conditional bail.
A trial for these men has now been set for October 5 at Winchester Crown Court, but Young will not be in attendance following his guilty pleas.
Business career
Young has been involved in multiple consultancy businesses, including as a director, and describes himself online as an experienced business leader. He is listed as the chief operating officer for a salesforce consultancy firm based in London. He joined the business in June 2023 with 17 years of experience in the ecosystem running his own partner consultancy, according to his biography on the company website.
He previously worked on projects for household names including Aston Martin, Unilever, and BP. Young graduated with a business studies degree from the University of Westminster in 1998, and previously went to school in Bishop's Stortford.
