Gisele Pelicot and her lawyer were present at the trial of her husband, along with 50 co-accused, at the courthouse in Avignon, France, on October 23, 2024. — Reuters file

The wives and girlfriends of numerous men on trial in France, accused of raping another woman while she was drugged by her husband, have expressed anger and disbelief. Some, however, have stated they will continue to support the accused. In a case that has stunned France, Dominique Pelicot, 71, has confessed to drugging his then-wife Gisele with sedatives, allowing strangers to sexually abuse her in their own bed for nearly a decade until 2020. An additional 50 men, aged between 26 and 74, are also on trial in Avignon, accused of responding to Dominique's invitation to rape Gisele. Some, including Dominique, are in custody, with one defendant being tried in absentia, while 32 of the accused are attending the trial as free men.

Among the women who have testified, Vanessa P. expressed her loss of respect for her former partner, Quentin H., 34, a prison guard accused of abusing Gisele Pelicot. "When you see what they are accusing him of, you start doubting everything," said the childcare worker, describing him as "manipulative". Similarly, Emilie O., 33, spoke about her ex-partner Hugues M., a 39-year-old charged with "attempted rape". "I thought I was living a peaceful and fulfilling life, but I was wrong," she said, adding that she would always fear that she too was raped. Emilie O. separated from Hugues in 2020 when police uncovered the years-long abuse of Gisele Pelicot and she discovered Hugues had multiple affairs.

Gisele Pelicot, now 71, has become a feminist icon both in France and internationally since the trial began in September, refusing to feel ashamed and demanding the trial be open to the public. Like Gisele, Cilia M. was also drugged and raped. Her husband, Jean-Pierre M., 63, is the only defendant not accused of abusing Gisele Pelicot. Instead, he and Dominique Pelicot are charged with repeatedly drugging and sexually assaulting Cilia M. between 2015 and 2018 using the same method. "He was wonderful, but he destroyed us," said the mother of his five children, one of whom is disabled. Cilia M. told the court she would "never forgive" her husband, who has claimed his own father sexually abused him as a child. She has since separated from him but has not pressed charges to "protect" her children.

Corinne M. had already separated from her husband, former builder Thierry P., 54, before the Pelicot case came to light, following the death of their son in a traffic accident, which led him to become alcoholic. She was confused by his behavior. "When it came to sex, he was always respectful. When it was no, it was no... I really don't understand why he is here today," she said at the trial. Veronique Le Goaziou, a sociologist specializing in sexual abuse, told AFP that partners of defendants are usually "stunned". They often struggle to imagine the alleged violence as it goes "beyond their understanding". "In some cases... they simply cannot or will not believe it."

Samira T. is still trying to understand why her partner, Jerome V., raped Gisele Pelicot six times in her home in Mazan in 2020. However, she stands by him to "support" him. "If we met, it's no coincidence," she said. "I was given this mission." Jerome V., a 46-year-old former minimart employee who claims to have slept with 89 people, told the court he was unable to control his sexuality. Another woman, Hien B., blamed herself. During a period when she was caring for her sick mother, she consistently brushed off Jean-Luc L. when he wanted sex. "I think that, as a man, he decided to turn elsewhere," she said.

Among the partners of the accused in Avignon, Sonia R. has been dating Patrice N. for just over a year. She said she wants to look forward to the future. "I support him and trust him wholeheartedly," she said. Lucie B. also stands by Gregory S., her partner of seven years. She is pregnant with their third child. "I don't see him as a rapist. It's not him," she said. After they met in 2017, he told her about visiting the Pelicot home earlier that year. "He told me it was a husband and his wife's idea of fun, that she was drunk," she added.

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