Push Admin

This court sketch made on September 11, 2024 shows Dominique Pelicot in court before being excused from the hearing, for the third consecutive day, to be transported for medical examinations. Benoit Peyrucq, AFP

This court sketch made on September 11, 2024 shows Dominique Pelicot in court before being excused from the hearing, for the third consecutive day, to be transported for medical examinations. Dominique Pelicot is accused of drugging his wife for nearly ten years and inviting strangers to rape her at their home in Mazan, a small town in the south of France, at the courthousein Avignon. - A court in the southern town of Avignon is trying Dominique Pelicot, a 71-year-old retiree, for repeatedly raping and enlisting dozens of strangers to rape his heavily sedated wife in her own bed over a decade. Fifty other men, aged between 26 and 74, are also on trial for alleged involvement, in a case that has horrified France. The court proceedings, which runs until December, are open to the public at the request of Dominique Pelicot's ex-wife and victim. (Photo by Benoit PEYRUCQ / AFP)

Article (news)

FRANCE MASS RAPE TRIAL

Agence France-Presse

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1726563631544AFP__20240911__36FZ42P__v1__HighRes__FranceJusticeTrialAssaultWoman.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="This court sketch made on September 11, 2024 shows Dominique Pelicot in court before being excused from the hearing, for the third consecutive day, to be transported for medical examinations. Benoit Peyrucq, AFP"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">This court sketch made on September 11, 2024 shows Dominique Pelicot in court before being excused from the hearing, for the third consecutive day, to be transported for medical examinations. <em>Benoit Peyrucq, AFP</em></span></span></span></div><p>AVIGNON, France (<strong>UPDATED</strong>) -- &quot;I am a rapist,&quot; said a Frenchman accused of drugging his wife so that he and dozens of strangers could sexually assault her, his first testimony in a trial that has horrified France.</p><p>Dominique Pelicot, 71, used a cane Tuesday as he slowly entered the courtroom in the southern city of Avignon, where his now ex-wife was present for the painful testimony.</p><p>&quot;I am a rapist, like the others in this room,&quot; Pelicot said, referring to the 50 other defendants in the mass trial -- men he allegedly recruited online to rape his then-wife Gisele Pelicot.</p><p>&quot;They all knew&quot; that he was inviting them to rape her, he said.</p><p>But he added: &quot;She did not deserve this.&quot;</p><p>Dominique Pelicot is accused of administering anti-anxiety drugs to Gisele over a period of almost a decade, from 2011 to 2020.</p><p>He has been charged with raping her while she was unconscious, and recruiting dozens of other men he met online to do the same.</p><p>Dominique Pelicot has admitted the charges, but Tuesday was the first time he was speaking at any length since the trial began on September 2.</p><p>He spoke of his &quot;difficult&quot; childhood, saying his parents &quot;assaulted each other&quot;.</p><p>He briefly mentioned what he described as two &quot;traumatic&quot; episodes, being victim of a rape when he was nine years old and another on a construction site as an apprentice.</p><p>&quot;I always carried these traumatizing events with me,&quot; he said, his eyes welling up and his voice shaking.</p><p>&quot;You&#x27;re not born this way, you become it,&quot; he added.</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/world/2024/9/10/frenchman-on-trial-for-mass-rape-of-wife-unwell-questioning-postponed-2115">READ: Frenchman on trial for mass rape of wife &#x27;unwell&#x27;, questioning postponed</a></div><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/world/2024/9/11/frenchman-tried-for-mass-rape-of-drugged-wife-509">READ: Frenchman tried for mass rape of drugged wife</a></div><div><strong>- &#x27;I am guilty&#x27; -</strong></div><div><strong><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/_iBm4C9kmX8?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span></strong>His ex-wife Gisele Pelicot, who obtained a divorce from him last month, remained stoic as he spoke, then she took the stand herself.</div><p>&quot;Not a for a single second did I doubt this man,&quot; she said.</p><p>Her former husband then asked her and others for forgiveness.</p><p>&quot;I am guilty of what I have done. I beg my wife, my children, my grandchildren... to accept my apologies. I ask for forgiveness,&quot; he said.</p><p>He also presented his apologies to another woman in the case, whose husband is accused of raping her while heavily sedated after following the same modus operandi.</p><p>The main defendant had been excused from hearings for much of last week and did not show up on Monday.</p><p>His lawyer Beatrice Zavarro told AFP he was suffering from &quot;a clot in the bladder&quot; and the beginning of a kidney infection.</p><p>But a medical exam ordered by the presiding judge found that he was in a fit state to appear in court, avoiding a delay of weeks or even months to the hearings.</p><p>Adjustments would be made to the &quot;sequencing of the hearings&quot; and Dominique Pelicot would get &quot;regular rest&quot;, Zavarro said, adding that the health complaints were not an attempt by her client to escape justice.</p><div><strong>- &#x27;Shame must change sides&#x27; -</strong></div><p>Dominique Pelicot&#x27;s testimony is expected to be decisive for the 50 other men aged 26 to 74 on trial, four of whose cases are set to be heard in the coming days.</p><p>Some of the accused have admitted that he told them he was drugging his then-wife, while others claim they believed they were participating in a swinger couple&#x27;s fantasy.</p><p>Investigators listed 72 men suspected of having taken part in abusing Gisele Pelicot other than her husband, but only managed to identify 50.</p><p>All those 50 are on trial. They include a fireman, a male nurse, a prison guard and a journalist.</p><p>Seventeen are in custody, as is Dominique Pelicot, while 32 other defendants are attending the trial as free men.</p><p>One co-defendant is being tried in absentia.</p><p>Gisele Pelicot requested that the trial be open to the public to raise awareness about the use of drugs to commit sexual abuse.</p><p>The case has prompted outrage across France, with thousands demonstrating in cities at the weekend to demand an end to rape and support Gisele Pelicot.</p><p>&quot;Shame must change sides,&quot; said several posters, echoing Gisele Pelicot&#x27;s words that it should be rapists -- not their victims -- who should be ashamed.</p><p>Gisele thanked demonstrators on Monday.</p><p>&quot;Thanks to you I have the strength to see this fight through to the end,&quot; she said.</p><div><strong>© Agence France-Presse</strong></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO:</strong></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/YSuZYpewQG8?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div><div><br/></div><div><br/></div>

<p>"I am a rapist," a 71-year-old Frenchman accused of drugging his wife so he and scores of strangers could assault her told a court Tuesday, returning to the dock after being ill for around a week.</p>

"I am a rapist," a 71-year-old Frenchman accused of drugging his wife so he and scores of strangers could assault her told a court Tuesday, returning to the dock after being ill for around a week.

'I am a rapist,' says Frenchman in mass rape trial

News

Entertainment

Lifestyle

Sports

Metro.Style

More

Traffic

Manila

Horoscope

World

'I am a rapist,' says Frenchman in mass rape trial

Agence France-Presse,

David Courbet and Philippe Siuberski

Published Sep 17, 2024 05:02 PM PHT

|

Updated Sep 17, 2024 06:45 PM PHT

Read More:

France

rape

sexual abuse

violence against women

Dominique Pelicot

Gisele Pelicot

ABS-CBN is the leading media and entertainment company in the Philippines, offering quality content across TV, radio, digital, and film. Committed to public service and promoting Filipino values, ABS-CBN continues to inspire and connect audiences worldwide.

Corporate

Investors

Governance

International Distribution

Corporate

Governance

Investors

International Distribution

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

AI Policy

Terms of Service

Advertise with Us

© 2025 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

Terms of Service

AI Policy

Advertise with Us

© 2025 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

Terms of Service

AI Policy

Advertise with Us

© 2025 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.