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A British man is charged with repeatedly drugging and raping a woman, now his ex-wife

LONDON (AP) — British authorities have charged a man with repeatedly drugging and raping a woman who is now his ex-wife over a 13-year period, officials said Monday. Five other men have been charged with sexual offenses against the same woman.

Philip Young, 49, has been charged with 56 offences, including multiple counts of rape and administering a substance with intent to “stupefy” Joanne Young, 48, between 2010 and 2023, the Crown Prosecution Service and Wiltshire Police said in a joint statement.

While British law automatically protects the identity of the victims of sexual crimes, Joanne Young 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.

It was not clear from the statement when the Youngs divorced.

Philip Young remains in custody while the five other suspects have been released on bail, police said.

All six men charged are set to appear at Swindon Magistrates’ Court in southwest England on Tuesday.

Beijing bans 4 New Zealand lawmakers from entering China because they visited Taiwan

By WTOP Staff
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Beijing banned four New Zealand lawmakers from traveling to China for a year and demanded they apologize because they visited Taiwan on a parliamentary trip, according to a message from the Chinese embassy conveyed via parliamentary officials and shown to The Associated Press on Thursday. China has hit lawmakers from other countries with sanctions related to contact with Taiwan before, but it's the first time for New Zealand parliamentarians, the government in Wellington said. Beijing has been increasing pressure in recent years on the democratically governed island that it claims as its own territory. Two lawmakers reached by the AP on Thursday rejected the demand for an apology, while the other two could not be immediately reached. New Zealand's government said it would express concern about the travel bans to Beijing. The elected officials visited Taipei in May, as New Zealand parliamentarians have done “for decades,” a spokesperson for Foreign Minister Winston Peters said in a statement.
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