Former UK Conservative councillor Philip Young, 49, has pleaded guilty to committing a string of sexual offences, including multiple counts of rape, against his wife, Joanne Young, over 13 years.
Young served as a Conservative councillor for Covingham and Nythe on Swindon Borough Council between 2007 and 2010. He was arrested in 2024.
Though the two have been divorced, Young admitted several charges, which also include administering a substance with the intent to stupefy and voyeurism.
The former councillor denied eight counts related to making and possessing indecent images of children and possessing extreme photos.
According to a report by the BBC, Young took 27 minutes to enter his guilty pleas to charges, including rape, sexual assault, assault by penetration, and voyeurism. The offences took place between 2010 and 2023.
Young, however, denied three charges of making indecent images of children, alleged to have occurred in July 2024.
He also pleaded not guilty to possessing a prohibited image and four charges of possessing an extreme pornographic image between January 2019 and January 2024.
Four other men charged with sexual offences against Joanne, 48, who has waived her right to anonymity, also appeared at Winchester Crown Court earlier and pleaded not guilty.


