Dominique Pélicot, the 71-year-old Frenchman who drugged his wife and arranged for dozens of men to rape her over nearly a decade, has admitted to the charges against him.
These include rape, gang rape, and privacy violations for recording and sharing explicit images, reports the BBC.
Pélicot appeared in a court in Avignon with the aid of a cane on Tuesday (17 Sept), after the trial was postponed the previous week due to his poor health.
He was heavily medicated and was allowed breaks to lie down, his lawyer stated.
“I am a rapist like all the others in this room,” Pélicot confessed, addressing the men he had recruited to assault his ex-wife, who were also facing rape charges.
“I ask my wife, my children, my grandchildren to accept my apologies. I regret what I did. I ask for your forgiveness, even if it is not forgivable,” he added.
During his testimony, Pélicot revealed he had a difficult childhood and had himself been a victim of sexual abuse, at times breaking into tears, according to French media reports.
The victim, Gisèle Pélicot, was also present in court while he testified.
Spectators applauded her and she was presented with flowers when she left the courtroom during a break.
She had insisted on a public trial to expose the crimes of her husband and the other men involved.
This sparked nationwide protests in support of Ms Gisèle and other survivors, as well as conversations about marital rape, consent, and the use of drugs to facilitate sexual assault.
“For 50 years, I lived with a man who I would never have imagined was capable of these acts of rape,” Ms Gisèle said when given the chance to speak in court.
In 2020, Pélicot was caught by a supermarket security guard secretly filming upskirt videos of women.
A search of his home and devices uncovered photos and videos of men sexually assaulting his wife, who appeared to be unconscious.
These recordings helped police identify 72 suspects, although some have yet to be found.
When Ms Gisèle was initially called for questioning, she described her husband as “a great guy”, prompting the officers to show her some of the photos.
Ms Gisèle then revealed that she had been suffering memory lapses and had sought a gynaecologist for unexplained pains.
After finding out about her rape, she left her husband and began divorce proceedings.
Investigators also found half-naked photos of their daughter, Ms Caroline Darian, and two daughters-in-law, taken without their knowledge while they were undressing or showering.
Additionally, Pelicot faces accusations of drugging and abusing his daughter.
Fifty other men, aged 26 to 73, are also on trial for the rape of Ms Gisèle.
While some have admitted guilt, others claimed they believed they were part of the couple’s sexual fantasy and that Ms Gisèle had given her consent.
However, Pélicot clarified, “When they came, they already knew everything. They all knew how this went about before the meetings.”
“I want to prove that my wife was a victim and not an accomplice, to prove that this was completely without her knowledge,” he added.
The trial is expected to run until December. If convicted, the defendants could face up to 20 years in jail.
Also read: S’porean man allegedly raped teenage stepdaughter in Batam for 2 years, gets arrested
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Featured image adapted from Christophe Simon/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images
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