Guillaume Horcajuelo/EPA
Gisèle Pelicot arrives at the criminal court where her ex-husband Dominique Pelicot is on trial, in Avignon, in the South of France.
Dominique Pelicot, who for years drugged his ex-wife to rape her with strangers, salutes her “courage”. Others insist on denying the facts captured in videos and photos. Verdict expected on Thursday.
In his last words before the sentence, scheduled for this Thursday, Dominique Pelicotthe main defendant in the case of 51 men, accused of raping his ex-wife, Gisèle Pelicot, this Monday hailed the courage of his ex-partner, who was drugged by him for a decade so that she could be raped by strangers he recruited on the Internet.
“I would like to start by saluting the courage of my ex-wife,” said the 72-year-old man, on the last day of the trial at the court in Avignon, in the south of France, where he also asked his family to accept his request for forgiveness for the suffering it caused.
Gisèle Pelicot, who became a leader in the fight against sexual violence against women, left the courtroom to applause and shouts of “bravo” from those present.
“May shame change sides”
Since the beginning, September 2, the trial has attracted worldwide attention, mainly due to Gisèle Pelicot’s refusal for it to be held behind closed doors, but also due to her support for the dissemination of images of the rapes, summarized in the phrase “may the shame change sides.”
Her ex-husband, against whom the prosecution sought the maximum sentence of 20 years in prison on November 25, for drugging her to fall asleep and then raping her with strangers between 2011 and 2020, never denied the accusations and reiterated this Monday that he told the whole truth.
“Everyone here, despite the presumption of innocence, is guilty, just like me”said Dominique Pelicot this Monday.
He also thanked the court for allowing him to watch the trial sitting in a special chair due to his poor health and his lawyer for helping him “not to give up”.
Dominique and 50 other defendants
Most of the other 50 defendants are also accused of aggravated rape. The Public Prosecutor’s Office asked for between 10 and 18 years in prison for 49 and 4 years for the only person accused of “touching” Gisèle Pelicot.
Dominique Pelicot apologized again to Jean-Pierre Maréchal’s companion, the only accused who did not attack Gisèle Pelicot, but his own wife, who was also raped several times by Dominique — who .
This was followed by Maréchal’s intervention, who acknowledged the acts of which he was accused. “Judge me for what I did and for who I am”, he asked.
Then, it was the others’ turn. Most chose not to testify, although some were grateful for the trial and the work of their lawyers. Others also reiterated their apologies to the victim.
There were also those who insisted on denying the factsdespite the thousands of photos and videos taken by Dominique Pelicot while the crimes were committed, fundamental evidence in this trial. “I’m not a rapist,” said one.
After all 51 defendants had the opportunity to go to the courtroom, the president of the court in Avignon, southeastern France, concluded the short session to begin deliberations. THE verdict is expected this Thursdayafter three and a half months of hearings.
