Husband in French mass-rape trial admits all charges

The man accused of drugging his wife and inviting dozens of men to rape her has admitted to all the charges against him in his first testimony to the court since the trial opened earlier this month.

Dominique Pélicot, 71, declared: “I am a rapist” to the courtroom in the southern city of Avignon, where the mass rape trial is being held.

He has previously admitted the charges, but today was the first time he has spoken at length since the trial began on 2 September. 

“I admit to the charges in their entirety,” he said. “I am a rapist just like all the others in this room … I ask my wife, my children, my grandchildren to accept my apologies. I regret what I did. I ask for your forgiveness, even if it is not forgivable,” he said, according to French media.

He added that his then-wife, Gisèle Pélicot, 72, “did not deserve this”. He added: “I was very happy with her.”

He is accused of giving her anti-anxiety drugs without her knowledge between 2011 and 2020 and raping her while she was unconscious. He is also accused of inviting dozens of other men he found online to their home in Mazan, in Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur, France, to do the same to her.

Referring to the 50 other defendants, who are aged between 26 and 73, he said “they all knew” he was inviting them to rape her.

Only 15 of the 50 other defendants have admitted rape, with most saying they only took part in sexual acts, but believed they were consensual.

He faces charges including rape, gang rape and various privacy breaches by recording and disseminating sexual images.

Ms Pélicot, who was given the chance to respond shortly after, said: “It is difficult for me to listen to this. For 50 years, I lived with a man who I would’ve never imagined could be capable of this. I trusted him completely.”

No cameras are allowed in the courtroom, but the trial is being held in public at Ms Pélicot’s request in order to place the “shame” on the defendants. Ms Pélicot has waived her right to anonymity.

Mr Pélicot told the courtroom he had traumatic childhood experiences and said he was abused by a male nurse when he was nine years old. At times he cried, according to French media.

He also claimed that aged 14 he had been forced to take part in the gang-rape of a woman. “It was too heavy to bear,” he told the court.

When asked about his marriage, he said he considered suicide when he found out she was having an affair. He said he wanted to crash his car into a row of trees, but lacked the courage. “Maybe I should have,” he added.

He also expanded on his feelings for his wife, whom he was “crazy about… I loved her immensely, and I still do”, he said.

Read Next

During a break in proceedings, Mr Pélicot ‘s lawyer Beatrice Zavarro told reporters: “All of the facts will be examined with all of the accused, and everyone will form their own opinion.”

Prosecutors have said Mr Pélicot, who was initially arrested after trying to film up a woman’s skirt, offered sex with his wife on a website called Coco and filmed the abuse. Investigators found 300 photographs and a video of the acts, according to a court document.

If found guilty, the defendants face up to 20 years in jail.

The high-profile case has rocked the country. To many, Ms Pélicot has become a symbol of the struggle against sexual violence in France and around the world.

On Saturday hundreds of people, mostly women, gathered in around 30 cities across the country to show their support of rape victims and Ms Pélicot.