UK rape trial hears man saw snoring as roleplay

A UK rape trial heard Wednesday that Richard Wilkins, who is accused of offences against Joanne Young, said he heard her snoring but believed she was roleplaying.

Wilkins, 62, has pleaded not guilty to rape and assault by penetration in 2016. He told Winchester Crown Court that he approached Joanne Young while she was blindfolded and bound in bed after responding to a Craigslist advert placed by her then-husband, Philip Young.

"I considered this was still part of the role-playing scenario that I was acting out," Wilkins said. He said he did not suspect she was drugged or drunk and did not know she was not consenting.

Wilkins and three other men are on trial accused of various sexual offences committed jointly with Philip Young against Joanne Young, who has waived her right to anonymity. Another man has admitted similar charges.

Philip Young has admitted multiple counts of drugging and raping her over 13 years. The court was told that he invited men to have sex with her while she was asleep or unconscious, presenting it as a kink for the couple.

Another defendant, Connor Sanderson-Doyle, 32, said in statements heard earlier this week that Philip Young was a "vile monster" and that he thought he had responded to a couple seeking to fulfil a fantasy. Sanderson-Doyle denies sexual assault by penetration and sexual touching.

The prosecution has argued that while the defendants may not have seen Philip Young administer sedatives, they "could patently see its effect" and did not care about Joanne Young's feelings.