France Rape Trial: Man Recruits Strangers to Rape Drugged Partner, Films Under Women’s Skirts

Last updated on September 5th, 2024 at 09:27 am

The world is closely following the trial of a man for repeatedly drugged and raped his wife and called on scores of strangers to rape her at their home in France for nearly a decade. About 50 men are standing trial at the French court in Avignon.

The court heard that the accused Dominique Pelicot, 71, would recruit men through the internet to rape his wife, Gisele, 72. He alleged drugged her with sleeping pills and anti-anxiety medication to get her unconscious. Pelicot faces nine charges, including rape with aggravating circumstances, drugging the victim to commit rape, and sharing images.

Gisele, the victim, has given permission for all hearings to be publicized, but one of her lawyers Antoine Camus said it would be a horrible ordeal. He told a French news agency his client would have to live through the rape she endured over 10 years. Camus highlighted that Gisele had no recollection of the abuse because she had almost been drugged to a state of coma, and only came to know about it in 2020.

Man Was Caught Filming Up Women’s Skirts

Pelicot was arrested in November 2020 when a security guard found him filming up the skirts of women in a supermarket. The police then found a filed labeled ‘abuses’ on a USB drive that was connected to the accused’s computer. It contained 20,000 images and films of the victim being raped.

The accused has declared himself guilty, saying he put his wife to sleep, offered her and then filmed the incidents. And those recruited men who raped her were from nearly every profession one could think of include soldier, prison guard, journalists, civil servant, local councilor, nurses, and a journalist.

However, several of the accused men say they didn’t know that Gisele was not a willing partner and accused Pelicot of tricking them.