Dominique Pelicot admitted drugging his wife and recruiting dozens of strangers to rape her over nearly a decade, begging his family for forgiveness as he told a French court on Tuesday (17): “I am a rapist.”
Pelicot’s testimony, the centerpiece of one of the most spectacular criminal trials in recent French history, had to be postponed last week due to health problems.
He faces multiple charges, including rape, gang rape and violating privacy by recording and disseminating sexual images.
Pelicot appeared in court with a cane Tuesday morning and spoke to the judge through a microphone. His attorney said he was on heavy medication and was allowed to take breaks to lie down throughout the day.
“I am a rapist like everyone else in this room,” he said, adding, “I ask my wife, my children, my grandchildren to accept my apology. I regret what I did. I ask for your forgiveness, even if it is not forgivable.”
The case shocked the country and sparked nationwide protests in support of his wife Gisele and against male sexual violence.
Dominique Pelicot told the court he had a difficult upbringing and was himself a victim of rape. At times, he cried, according to French media.
Gisele Pelicot was in court during her appearance in the dock and was greeted with applause from spectators when she came out during breaks.
Public trial
She insisted on a public trial to expose her husband and the other men accused of raping her, making her a symbol of the fight against sexual violence in France.
“For 50 years, I lived with a man who I never imagined was capable of these acts of rape,” she said.
Gisele Pelicot began divorce proceedings after meeting with investigators about the case.
When asked by one of the lawyers if he thought he could win his ex-partner back, Pelicot said: “It’s important to have hope. If not, it’s over. I was traumatized. It was partly thanks to her that I forgot those bad times in my life.”
Prosecutors said Dominique Pelicot, who was initially arrested after filming up a woman’s skirt in a supermarket, offered his wife sex on a website called Coco and filmed the abuse.
In addition to Dominique Pelicot, 50 other men, currently aged between 26 and 73, are also on trial on rape charges in the southern city of Avignon. Dominique Pelicot said a total of 72 men took part in the abuse of his then wife.
While some of the defendants admitted guilt to investigators, others said they believed they were acting out a couple’s fantasy and that Gisele Pelicot had in fact consented to the sex.
“When they came, they already knew everything. Everyone knew how it happened before the meetings,” Pelicot said.
“I want to prove that my wife was a victim and not an accomplice, to prove that this happened completely without her knowledge.”
Investigators found 300 photographs and a video of the acts and filed them in folders, including one titled “Abuse,” according to a court document.
Gisele Pelicot told investigators she suffered from memory lapses and consulted a gynecologist for unexplained pain.
The trial is scheduled to last until December. If found guilty, the defendants could face up to 20 years in prison.
This content was originally published in Frenchman accused of drugging wife for rape confesses: “I am a rapist” on the CNN Brasil website.
Source: CNN Brasil
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