AVIGNON, France (AP) — Man accused of drugging then-wife and inviting dozens of men to rape her for nearly a decade, testified Tuesday before a court in the south of France, in a case that has shocked the country.
Dominique Pélicot, now 71, faces 20 years in prison if convicted. Although he has already confessed his crimes to investigators, his testimony will be crucial for the judges who will have to decide the fate of about fifty other men tried alongside him, all accused of raping Gisèle Pélicot.
Many also hope that his testimony will shed some light – to try to understand the unthinkable.
Gisèle Pélicot has become a symbol of the fight against sexual violence She was sentenced to 10 years in prison in France for agreeing to waive her anonymity in the case, make the trial public and appear openly before the media. She is expected to speak in court after her ex-husband testifies on Tuesday.
Under French law, court proceedings cannot be filmed or photographed. Dominique Pélicot is brought into court through a special entrance inaccessible to the media, as he and other defendants are being held in police custody during the trial. Defendants who are not in police custody come to the trial wearing surgical masks or balaclavas to prevent their faces from being filmed or photographed.
Bernadette Tessonière, a 69-year-old retiree who lives a half-hour drive from Avignon, where the trial is taking place, arrived at the courthouse at 7:15 a.m. to secure a spot in the closely watched case.
“How is it possible that in 50 years of community life, you can live next to someone who hides his life so well? It’s scary,” she said, as she waited in line outside the courthouse. “I don’t have much hope that what he did can be explained, but he’s going to at least give some elements.”
Pélicot’s highly anticipated testimony was delayed for several days after he fell ill with a kidney stone and a urinary tract infection, his lawyers said.
A security guard caught Pélicot in 2020 filming upskirt videos of women at a supermarket, according to court documents. Police searched Pélicot’s home and electronic devices and found thousands of photos and videos of men engaging in sexual acts with Gisèle Pélicot as she appeared to lie unconscious on their bed.
Thanks to the recordings, the police were able to find the majority of the 72 suspects they were looking for.
Gisèle Pélicot and her husband, married for 50 years, had three children. When they retired, the couple left the Paris region to settle in a house in Mazan, a small town in Provence.
When police called her in for questioning in late 2020, she first told them her husband was “a great guy,” according to court documents. They then showed her photos. She left her husband, and they are now divorced.
In addition to Gisèle Pélicot, 50 other men, aged 26 to 74, are on trial. Many deny raping Gisèle Pélicot, claiming to have been manipulated by her ex-husband or stating that they believed she consented.
