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Man who raped wife drugged by her husband insists she was 'participating' and 'fully engaged', court told

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Haigh, E. (2026, November 5). Man who raped wife drugged by her husband insists she was 'participating' and 'fully engaged', court told. Daily Mail. https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-16268719/Man-raped-wife-drugged-husband-participating-court.html?ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490&ito=1490

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Daily Mail · collected 2026-11-05 · by Elizabeth Haigh

Quick Summary

Norman Macksoni, a defendant in a rape trial at Winchester Crown Court, claims that Joanne Young, who was drugged and abused by her husband Philip Young over 13 years, consented to their encounter. Macksoni says he met Young through the cuckolding section of a swingers website called Fab Swingers and believed she had invited him to have sex with her while blindfolded. During the incident at her home in Swindon, Macksoni states that Young appeared to be fully engaged and participating in the sexual act despite being drugged by her husband earlier.
Written by AI on 2026-11-05, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

Philip Young, a former Tory councillor from Swindon, pleaded guilty to 56 sexual offences against his ex-wife Joanne Young, including rape and drugging her. The abuse occurred over a period of two decades, with Joanne discovering at one point that a stranger was present in their bed while she was blindfolded and restrained. In an interview, Joanne described feeling hazy and shocked to find another person during an encounter. Young advertised his wife on dating and swinging websites under the guise of a sexual kink for both of them. The case involves multiple defendants, with four men standing trial accused of sexually assaulting Ms Young, who waived her right to anonymity. Norman Macksoni, 48, from Sharnbrook in Bedfordshire, is among those denying charges but claims he believed Joanne consented despite the evidence presented by prosecutors.

Written for “Husband Drugged Wife For Sex Abuse Trials” on 2026-11-05, grounded in this article and the 18 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
This article does not take a side on a contested political question, so it has no leaning score. That is an answer rather than a gap: a match report or a rescue can be warmly or critically written without being left or right, and scoring it anyway is how approval of a subject gets recorded as a political position.
No political leaning scored for article 131874 · logged 2026-11-05

Story

📰 Husband Drugged Wife For Sex Abuse Trials
Crime & Law · 19 article(s) covering the same event. Compare every outlet's account →

Compared with similar articles

This article reads unscored and hedges 0% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
Daily Mail
Hedges 1 of 29 claims Outlet record 69/100
The Guardian
Hedges 2 of 20 claims Outlet record 66/100
The Guardian
Hedges 1 of 25 claims Outlet record 66/100
“While both articles discuss a trial related to abuse and sexual assault involving a woman drugged by her husband, Article A covers the broader trial of nine men who are accused of abusing the victim, while Article B focuses on specific testimony from one of the defendants in that trial.”
BBC News
Hedges 6 of 40 claims Outlet record 66/100
“The articles refer to different trials and locations involving overlapping but distinct sets of defendants.”
Dawn
Hedges 2 of 16 claims Outlet record 72/100
“The articles describe different proceedings involving the same case but distinct events: one is about the discovery of images during a trial in Manchester, while the other involves testimony from another court hearing.”
The Guardian
Hedges 3 of 44 claims Outlet record 66/100
“The articles describe different court proceedings involving distinct incidents and locations.”
Daily Mail
Hedges 1 of 27 claims Outlet record 69/100
“The articles discuss different men's testimonies during a trial involving multiple accused individuals and one victim. While both involve Philip Young drugging his wife, they report distinct claims made by separate defendants at the same court proceedings.”
Daily Mail
Hedges 3 of 52 claims Outlet record 69/100
“The articles describe different defendants and trials occurring at different locations.”
The Guardian
Hedges 2 of 49 claims Outlet record 66/100
“The articles describe different legal proceedings involving distinct locations and defendants.”
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
24
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
0%
0 of 24 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
not political
takes no side on a contested political question
Publisher signals
69/100
Daily Mail's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
19
Crime & Law
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-11-05 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

Daily Mail · 9545 article(s) · 22 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 22 correction(s)

Who wrote this

Elizabeth Haigh
72 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
🔮 He said that Young, who used the username 'London Monkey', had contacted him through the site and invited him to have sex with them but said Ms Young would be blindfolded because she did not want to see who she was having sex with.
🔮 Married at First Sight (MAFS) UK will not return to TV screens as Channel 4 confirmed today it is axeing it following allegations from former participants of sexual assault.
🔮 Defend Our Juries, who organised the protest, said it expected to see 400 people show support for the group by holding up signs reading 'I oppose genocide, I support Palestine Action' - although images suggest the actual number was a little over 100.
🔮 The NHS says that following the wide-ranging review of adult gender services, an updated service specification is being developed for adult surgical care and will then be subject to a process of public consultation next year.
🔮 Acadmic Sarah Steele claimed she was drugged and strangled by Wulfson before he had sex with her without consent in his apartment Wulfson was convicted of two charges – strangling Ms Steele and wilfully disobeying a commander's orders not to contact his victim after the assault. Justice Minister Jake Richards told BBC Radio 4's Today programme there would be a 'really thorough and objective look at this case' in the aftermath of the tribunal. He added: 'It's a really serious case…
🔮 The protest, organised by Defend Our Juries, was expected to see 400 people show support for the group by holding up signs reading 'I oppose genocide, I support Palestine Action.' Expressing support for the group is an offence in the UK under the Terrorism Act after it was proscribed in June 2025.
🔮 Parents William and Catherine, both 44, are understood to embrace the festivities on October 31, and the princess has previously been spotted out and about, taking Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis trick-or-treating.
🔮 The incident happened at a party conference, when the journalist went to an arranged meeting with the minister in his room, where she expected to find him and his adviser.
🔮 The police watchdog has confirmed it will investigate the Metropolitan Police over its handling of a letter it passed to Meghan about her father, Thomas Markle.
🔮 After the break, there was a noticeable change in the mood around the table, and Acaster delivered a speech that will go down in TV history to his fellow celebrities.
Also by Elizabeth Haigh
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 72 articles by Elizabeth Haigh →

Topics

Bedfordshire Sharnbrook Swindon Tory Wiltshire

Subjects

Young PERSON · 14× Swindon GPE · 7× Macksoni PERSON · 4× Bedfordshire GPE · 3× Mohammed Hassan PERSON · 2× Norman Macksoni PERSON · 2× Philip Young PERSON · 2× Richard Wilkins PERSON · 2× Sharnbrook GPE · 2× Wiltshire GPE · 2×

Narrative

Norman Macksoni, 48, of Sharnbrook, Bedfordshire, who has denied one count of rape in February 2017, told the court today he believed Ms Young had consented Philip Young admitted a total of 56 sexual offences, the majority against his ex-wife Joanne earlier, this year including raping her, drugging her and voyeurism Four men are standing trial accused of sexually assaulting Ms Young, who has waived her right to anonymity Ms Young, he said, 'had her mask on and her hands were restrained but she had her feet flat on the bed and knees up and he was saying something to her, they were having a conversation.' He said: 'I can't remember what she said, she did say something but I can't remember what it was. '
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-11-05
🔮 He said that Young, who used the username 'London Monkey', had contacted him through the site and invited him to have sex with them but said Ms Young would be blindfolded because she did not want to see who she was having sex with.

Claims (24 extracted, 0 hedged)

A man accused of raping a woman advertised for sex by her husband online has told a court she 'participated' and he believed she had consented. asserted
she → accuse → court
Former Tory councillor Philip Young, 50, 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. asserted
Young → plead → Swindon
Four other men are on trial at Winchester Crown Court accused of sexually abusing Ms Young, who has waived her right to anonymity. asserted
who → accuse → anonymity
Norman Macksoni, 48, of Sharnbrook, Bedfordshire, who has denied one count of rape in February 2017, told the court that he had joined the Fab Swingers website which he said had a 'staggering number' of users. asserted
he → deny → users
Macksoni, who used the name Dark Stranger, said that there were 'very high numbers' of adverts for cuckolding, which he said was 'where you have got married couples and one partner wanted to see their wife with another male'. asserted
partner → use → male
He said that Young, who used the username 'London Monkey', had contacted him through the site and invited him to have sex with them but said Ms Young would be blindfolded because she did not want to see who she was having sex with. asserted
she → say → sex
The defendant said he believed Young's messages and added: 'There was no reason not to.' He said that when he went to the house, Young showed him up to the bedroom, where Young sat on the side of the bed. asserted
Young → say → bed
Norman Macksoni, 48, of Sharnbrook, Bedfordshire, who has denied one count of rape in February 2017, told the court today he believed Ms Young had consented Philip Young admitted a total of 56 sexual offences, the majority against his ex-wife Joanne earlier, this year including raping her, drugging her and voyeurism Four men are standing trial accused of sexually assaulting Ms Young, who has waived her right to anonymity Ms Young, he said, 'had her mask on and her hands were restrained but she had her feet flat on the bed and knees up and he was saying something to her, they were having a conversation.' He said: 'I can't remember what she said, she did say something but I can't remember what it was. ' asserted
it → deny → something
I heard him say "He is here".' asserted
He → hear → ?
Macksoni said he then had sex with Ms Young and claimed: 'She was participating in what was happening, the noises, the movement, then pulling me in with her legs. asserted
what → say → legs
'It was full engagement in what was happening from her.' asserted
what → happen → her
He added she did not appear drugged and he would have stopped if she had not been participating in the sex. asserted
she → add → sex
Macksoni said that Young was behind him, which he described as 'unnerving', and he was unaware that he was filming the incident. asserted
he → say → incident
When asked what he did to ensure that Ms Young was safe, he said: 'They are asking me to go to their safe place which is their home.' asserted
which → ask → place
Richard Wilkins, 62, from Swindon, has denied one count of rape and one of assault by penetration Mohammed Hassan, 38, of Swindon, has pleaded not guilty to one count of sexual touching Connor Sanderson-Doyle, 32, from Swindon, has denied sexual assault by penetration and sexual touching Macksoni said he believed Ms Young had agreed to having unprotected sex, and added: 'That was what was being asked for. ' asserted
what → deny → sex
At the time I didn't know it was just her husband had been speaking, I thought it was the two of them speaking to me.' asserted
it → know → me
The defendant said that he was one of seven siblings who grew up in the Newbury area and that he had performed in a band and produced the music which was 'relatively successful' and was his full-time job for a while. asserted
which → say → while
The father of one said that after being convicted of possessing cocaine with intent to supply he trained in waste management before he gained a new job with a large company and relocated to Bedfordshire. asserted
he → say → Bedfordshire
The other three defendants in the trial, who have been charged jointly with Young, are Connor Sanderson-Doyle, 32, of Swindon, who has denied sexual assault by penetration and sexual touching; and Richard Wilkins, 62, of Toothill, Swindon, Wiltshire, who has pleaded not guilty to one count of rape and one of assault by penetration. asserted
who → charge → penetration
Mohammed Hassan, 38, of Swindon, has pleaded not guilty to one count of sexual touching of Ms Young. asserted
Hassan → plead → Young
Young, 50, has pleaded guilty to a total of 56 charges, including 14 counts of voyeurism, 11 of rape, 11 of administering a substance with intent, seven of assault by penetration, four of sexual assault and one of publishing an obscene article. asserted
Young → plead → article
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. asserted
defendant → admit → rape
They will be sentenced at the conclusion of the trial. asserted
They → sentence → trial
The trial continues. asserted
trial → continue → ?
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