Man did not care if woman was drunk, rape trial told

A man accused of raping a woman whose husband advertised her for sex on the internet "was not bothered if she was drunk or unconscious", a court has heard.

Richard Wilkins, 62, is one of four men accused of sexual offences against Joanne Young, who was drugged and raped by her ex-husband Philip Young over 13 years at their Swindon home.

Wilkins is on trial at Winchester Crown Court with Norman Macksoni, 48, Connor Sanderson-Doyle, 32, and Mohammed Hassan, 38. They all deny sexual offences against Joanne, who has waived her right to anonymity.

Prosecutor Sarah Jones KC said Wilkins had invented his claim that he expressed concerns about Joanne after Young said she may be drunk during his visit.

Warning: This story contains distressing details

Wilkins, a former taxi driver of Toothill in Swindon, has pleaded not guilty to one count of rape and one of assault by penetration.

The defendant told the court on Tuesday that Young had instructed him to "come in, have sex and leave" and that Joanne would "pretend to be asleep".

He had answered a Craigslist post in 2016 which he said he thought was placed by the couple but was actually placed by Young alone.

He said Young had told him Joanne might be drunk during the incident, which Wilkins said he flagged as a concern to Young because it "wouldn't be much fun" if she was intoxicated.

He told the jury he did this because he "wanted to make sure it was a consensual thing".

But during cross-examination earlier, Jones said the discussion "never happened", pointing to the fact the conversation had not been mentioned in Wilkins' defence statement or an addition made in October 2026.

She said Wilkins had "tailored his account" to "explain away" his actions to the jury, after being influenced by the evidence of fellow defendant Connor Sanderson-Doyle, who described the alcohol mentioned in the advert as a red flag.

Wilkins denied this and maintained the conversation was something he had "thought about and honestly remembered".

Jones also said Wilkins' phone conversation with Young, where he said he had asked to speak to Joanne to "make sure she was aware" of the plan, had been "completely made up".

Wilkins said Young told him she was "busy with the kids but looking forward to having you".

Jones questioned why this "crucially important" evidence was omitted from his initial statement, and asked "How on earth did that set your mind at rest?"

"She was there, she was in the house, he was very reassuring, he sounded like a nice guy," Wilkins said.

"I was of the impression it was all above board," he added.

Wilkins also told the jury he presumed Joanne was "acting out a role play" when he heard her snoring during the alleged rape.

"I assumed she was enjoying it," he added, which he said was based on her movements and the noises she was making.

After leaving, Wilkins said he had no concerns, adding: "It had gone exactly as it had been described... At the time, it did not strike me that she was under the influence of drugs or drink."

The court was previously told the investigation into Young was launched after police were alerted to the fact he had uploaded extreme pornographic images to the internet in 2023.

Searches of his devices found nearly 500 images of Joanne "in a state of undress", with the majority "not with knowledge or consent".

Young has admitted 48 offences against his ex-wife, including voyeurism, rape, administering a substance with intent, assault by penetration and sexual assault.

He also pleaded guilty to three charges of making indecent images of children, one of possessing prohibited images of children, and four of possessing an extreme pornographic image.

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.

Young and Hamilton will be sentenced at the end of the trial.

The trial continues.

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