Former Tory councillor accused of orchestrating rape gang

The CPS have revealed that six men have been charged with over 60 alleged sexual offences against one woman, with the ordeal spanning a 13-year period. One of them is Philip young, a former Tory councillor.

Joanne Young, 48, has shown exceptional courage in waiving her anonymity ahead of court proceedings taking place. The CPS report that she is being supported by specially trained officers and partner agencies.

Philip Young, 49, is the ex-husband to the alleged victim, and has been charged with 56 sexual offences. These include multiple counts of rape, administering a substance with intent to stupefy or overpower to allow sexual activity, voyeurism, possession of extreme images, and possession of indecent images of children. Young, a white British national, is set to appear at Swindon Magistrates’ Court today.

It’s worth noting that Young has also been found to be in possession of 139 indecent images of children under category one, the most severe tier of this offence. There are 82 charges relating to extreme images, with each charge pertaining to rape, animals, death, and gore.

Philip Young: accused show a similar breakdown of demographics in the UK

In relation to offences against Joanne Young, five other men on top of Philip Young are also facing charges for sexual offences:

Norman Macksoni, 47, Black British national. Charged with one count of rape and possession of extreme images.

Dean Hamilton, 46, White British national. Charged with one count of rape, sexual assault by penetration, and two counts of sexual touching.

Connor Sanderson Doyle, 31, White British national. Charged with sexual assault by penetration and sexual touching.

Richard Wilkins, 61, White British national. Charged with one count of rape and sexual touching.

Mohammed Hassan, 37, British Asian male. Charged with sexual touching.

It’s a problem with men, not their ethnicity

Contrary to a lot of the rhetoric and manipulated statistics we see thrown around, this case throws a spotlight on the fact that the most relevant characteristic trend we see is gender. It isn’t ethnicity or country of origin like the far-right want to push down our throats.

Again, addressing the palpable difference in how the mainstream press cover white sexual offenders:

It gets even more gross

If the charges against Philip Young aren’t bad enough, it has also been revealed that he is a former Tory councillor on Swindon Council. Young is a former cabinet member for culture, regeneration and economic development.

Horrifying similarities to the case of Gisele Pelicot

Dominique Pelicot was sentenced to 20 years in prison little over a year ago for aggravated rape involving drugs. His victim was Gisele Pelicot, his wife, who was drugged and raped without her knowledge for almost 10 years. During this time, the husband used his wife as a play-thing for up to 50 men, with 46 being subsequently charged in the same case.

This case sparked huge controversy, attracting global attention and disgust. It also received an  immense swell of solidarity and empathy from many women and girls, in France and across the world.

This won’t be a shock to everyone

In October, we covered the horrific rise we have seen in sexual offences against women and girls, particularly in cases of rape. Most women and girls across the country recognise that there are no defining characteristics to look out for in order to protect against the likelihood of rape.

Over a 20 year period, we have seen cases of rape increase by over 500%. We can also see how little weight there is to the rhetoric put out by Tommy Robinson, Ant Middleton, Farage and other far-right, misogynistic bad actors that ‘immigrants are the threat to women and girls’. These men want to keep focus away from white men, instead unfairly deflecting the blame onto specific minoritised people to suit a political agenda.

Time and time again we see facts and realities go in direct contradiction with the churned-out bile from the billionaire press. Women and girls will only be safer when we stop legitimising narcissistic, bad-intentioned manipulators, and prioritise the victims at the heart of these sinister and cruel offences.

The Canary would like to take this opportunity to offer its solidarity and support to Joanne Young and commend her bravery for speaking out.

Featured image via Swindon Magistrates

By Maddison Wheeldon

This post was originally published on Canary.