Six British men, including a woman’s former husband, were charged with more than 60 sexual offences against her over 13 years, U.K. prosecutors said on Monday.
Philip Young, 49, faces 56 charges, including multiple counts of rape, administering a substance with intent to stupefy or overpower to allow sexual activity, and voyeurism, the Crown Prosecution Service said in a statement.
Young, also charged with possession of indecent images of children and other extreme images, has been remanded into custody and is due to appear at Swindon Magistrates’ Court, about 130 kilometres west of London, on Tuesday, the statement said.
While British law automatically protects the identity of the victims of sexual crimes, Joanne Young, 48, has voluntarily waived this right.
“She has asked to be named in this press release and is being supported by specially trained officers and partner agencies,” the agencies said in their statement.
The other men charged are Norman Macksoni, 47, Dean Hamilton, 46, Conner Sanderson Doyle, 31, Richard Wilkins, 61, and Mohammed Hassan, 37, the CPS said. They have been released on bail and are also due to appear in court.
“This is a significant update in what is a complex and extensive investigation,” Detective Superintendent Geoff Smith from Wiltshire Police said in the statement.
Disturbing similarities to earlier case in France
Last year, a 72-year-old French man was convicted of drugging and raping his wife and inviting other men to rape her while she was unconscious over a period of almost 10 years. Gisèle Pelicot also chose to waive her right to anonymity and faced her abusers in court.
All 50 of the man’s co-defendants, most of whom were accused of raping Pelicot while she was knocked out, were also found guilty.
