Dominique Pelicot, 71, admits to drugging his ex-wife in order that dozens of different males might rape her and begs for forgiveness.
Dominique Pelicot has admitted to drugging his ex-wife and recruiting dozens of strangers to rape her over almost a decade, and is begging for his household’s forgiveness.
The 71-year-old’s listening to on Tuesday, the centrepiece of one in every of France’s most spectacular criminal trials in latest historical past, needed to be delayed final week on account of his dangerous well being.
He faces a number of prices together with rape, gang rape and privateness breaches by recording and disseminating sexual pictures.
Pelicot appeared in courtroom with a cane on Tuesday morning and spoke to the choose via a microphone along with his lawyer saying he had taken heavy treatment and was allowed to take breaks to lie down all through the day.
“I’m a rapist identical to all of the others on this room,” he mentioned, including: “I ask my spouse, my youngsters, my grandchildren to just accept my apologies. I remorse what I did. I ask on your forgiveness, even when it’s not forgivable.”
The case has shocked the nation and triggered nationwide protests in assist of his spouse Gisele, who has change into a logo of the battle towards sexual violence in France.
Pelicot informed the courtroom he had a troublesome upbringing and had himself been a sufferer of rape, breaking into tears throughout his testimony.
He mentioned he had wished his spouse to take part in companion swaps and her refusal, along with trauma from his youth, had helped to set off his abusive behaviour.
“It turned a perversion, an dependancy,” he informed the courtroom.
Pelicot, who mentioned he had filmed the acts of abuse as an insurance coverage coverage towards the lads concerned, mentioned he had been the sufferer of blackmail on account of his actions.
Gisele Pelicot was within the courtroom, sporting sun shades throughout her former husband’s look on the stand. She was greeted with applause by spectators when she left throughout breaks.
She had insisted on a public trial to reveal her ex-husband and the opposite males accused of raping her.
“For 50 years, I lived with a person who I might by no means have imagined was able to these acts of rape,” she mentioned.
Gisele Pelicot started divorce proceedings after assembly with investigators over the case.
Prosecutors have mentioned Dominique Pelicot, who was initially arrested after filming up a girl’s skirt in a grocery store, provided intercourse along with his then-wife on a web site known as Coco and filmed the abuse.
Along with Pelicot, 50 different males, presently aged 26 to 74, are additionally on trial on rape prices within the southern metropolis of Avignon. Pelicot has mentioned a complete of 72 males participated within the abuse of his then-wife.
Whereas a few of the defendants admitted guilt to the investigators, others have mentioned they believed they have been enacting a pair’s fantasy and that Gisele Pelicot had in actual fact consented to intercourse.
Investigators discovered 300 images and a video of the acts and filed them in folders, together with one titled “Abuse,” in keeping with a courtroom doc.
Gisele Pelicot informed investigators that she had suffered from reminiscence lapses and had consulted a gynaecologist for unexplained pains.
The trial is ready to final via December. If discovered responsible, the defendants withstand 20 years in jail.
