Man accused of raping wife drugged by her husband tells court he thought her snoring was part of the 'role-playing'

Published: 11:03 EDT, 4 November 2026 | Updated: 11:04 EDT, 4 November 2026 A man accused of raping a wife advertised by her husband for sex on the internet has told a court that he heard her snoring but thought this was part of the 'role-playing'.Philip Young has pleaded guilty to multiple charges of drugging and sexually abusing his wife, Joanne Young, during a 13-year period at their home in Swindon, Wiltshire.Four other men are on trial at Winchester Crown Court accused of sexually abusing Mrs Young, who has waived her right to anonymity.Richard Wilkins, of Toothill, Swindon, Wiltshire, has pleaded not guilty to one count of rape and one of assault by penetration in July 2016.The 62-year-old who worked as a taxi driver told the court that he responded to an advert placed on Craigslist by Young.He said that as he approached the bed in which Mrs Young was shackled and wearing a blindfold, he heard a 'snoring noise' which he thought was part of the encounter as advertised by Young.He said: 'I considered this was still part of the role-playing scenario that I was acting out.'Explaining that he felt she must have been awake or woken up, he said: 'If you are asleep and someone climbs on your bed, it's going to wake you up and make you move or something.'Philip Young has pleaded guilty to drugging and sexually abusing his wife Joanne (pictured) Richard Wilkins has pleaded not guilty to one count of rape and one of assault by penetration Norman Macksoni, 48, of Sharnbrook, Bedfordshire, has denied one count of rape Connor Sanderson-Doyle, 32, has denied sexual assault by penetration and sexual touching Mohammed Hassan, 38, has pleaded not guilty to one count of sexual touching of Mrs Young Dean Hamilton, of Somerset, has admitted assault by penetration, sexual assault and rapeHe said that as he started having sex with Mrs Young, she stopped snoring and she began making sounds of 'moaning or groaning of enjoyment' as well as wrapping her legs around him.Wilkins said that he had not suspected that she had been drugged or was drunk because there was no 'drug paraphernalia' in the room and Young and Mrs Young did not smell of alcohol.He added that he did not know that she was not consenting and said: 'I didn't and if I did or had any inkling of it I would have contacted police myself. I believed she was consenting.'Wilkins said that at the time he had been searching for friendship following a 'rough divorce' and added: 'I am trying to get back some confidence and get on with my life.'The other three defendants in the trial, who have been charged jointly with Young, are Norman Macksoni, 48, of Sharnbrook, Bedfordshire, who has denied one count of rape; and Connor Sanderson-Doyle, 32, of Swindon, has denied sexual assault by penetration and sexual touching.Mohammed Hassan, 38, of Swindon, has pleaded not guilty to one count of sexual touching of Mrs Young.Young, 50, has pleaded guilty to a total of 56 charges, and a sixth defendant, Dean Hamilton, 47, of Street, Somerset, has admitted one charge of assault by penetration, two of sexual assault and one of rape.They will be sentenced at the conclusion of the trial.The trial continues.