"I am a rapist," declared a Frenchman accused of drugging his wife to facilitate her sexual assault by himself and numerous strangers, delivering his initial testimony in a trial that has shocked France. Dominique Pelicot, 71, entered the courtroom in Avignon, southern France, on Tuesday with the aid of a cane, as his former wife, present for the distressing proceedings, looked on.
"I am a rapist, just like the others in this room," Pelicot stated, referring to the 50 additional defendants in the extensive trial—men he purportedly enlisted online to rape his then-wife, Gisele Pelicot. "They all knew" that he was inviting them to rape her, he claimed. However, he added: "She did not deserve this."
Dominique Pelicot is accused of administering anti-anxiety medications to Gisele over nearly a decade, from 2011 to 2020. He faces charges of raping her while she was unconscious and recruiting dozens of men he encountered online to do the same. Pelicot has admitted to the charges, but this was the first time he spoke at length since the trial commenced on September 2.
He recounted his "difficult" childhood, revealing that his parents "assaulted each other." He briefly mentioned two "traumatic" incidents: being raped at nine years old and another incident on a construction site as an apprentice. "I always carried these traumatizing events with me," he said, his eyes filling with tears and his voice trembling. "You're not born this way, you become it," he added.
His ex-wife, Gisele Pelicot, who divorced him last month, remained composed as he spoke, then took the stand herself. "Not for a single second did I doubt this man," she said. Her former husband then sought forgiveness from her and others. "I am guilty of what I have done. I beg my wife, my children, my grandchildren...to accept my apologies. I ask for forgiveness," he said. He also apologized to another woman involved in the case, whose husband is accused of raping her while heavily sedated, following a similar modus operandi.
The main defendant had been excused from hearings for much of last week and did not appear on Monday. His lawyer, Beatrice Zavarro, informed AFP that he was suffering from "a clot in the bladder" and the onset of a kidney infection. However, a medical examination ordered by the presiding judge determined that he was fit to appear in court, averting a delay of weeks or even months to the proceedings. Adjustments to the "sequencing of the hearings" would be made, and Dominique Pelicot would receive "regular rest," Zavarro said, emphasizing that the health complaints were not an attempt by her client to evade justice.
Dominique Pelicot's testimony is anticipated to be crucial for the 50 other men aged 26 to 74 on trial, four of whose cases are scheduled to be heard in the coming days. Some of the accused have admitted that he informed them he was drugging his then-wife, while others claim they believed they were participating in a swinger couple's fantasy. Investigators identified 72 men suspected of having abused Gisele Pelicot, excluding her husband, but only managed to charge 50. All 50 are on trial, including a firefighter, a male nurse, a prison guard, and a journalist. Seventeen are in custody, as is Dominique Pelicot, while 32 other defendants are attending the trial as free men. One co-defendant is being tried in absentia.
Gisele Pelicot requested that the trial be open to the public to raise awareness about the use of drugs to commit sexual abuse. The case has sparked outrage across France, with thousands demonstrating in cities over the weekend to demand an end to rape and support Gisele Pelicot. "Shame must change sides," read several posters, echoing Gisele Pelicot's words that it should be rapists—not their victims—who should be ashamed. Gisele thanked the demonstrators on Monday. "Thanks to you, I have the strength to see this fight through to the end," she said.
