Mass rape trial that has shocked France enters final phase
A mass rape trial that has stunned France is moving to its final stages in coming days.
For the past 10 weeks, the country has been gripped by 71-year-old Dominique Pélicot's acknowledgment in court that over nearly a decade, he was drugging his wife Gisele at the time and inviting dozens of men to rape her, as well as raping her himself.
The legal team of Ms Pelicot's legal team will give their final statements on Tuesday, and the defence will then follow, reports the BBC.
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Gisele Pelicot speaks to media as she leaves the Avignon court house, southern France, on September. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Lewis Joly, File) AP
The trial of Mr Pélicot and 50 other men began in September in the southern city of Avignon.
He faces 20 years in prison if convicted.
Ms Pélicot has become a symbol of the fight against sexual violence in France for agreeing to waive her anonymity in the case, letting the trial be public, and appearing openly in front of the media.
The case began when a security agent caught Mr Pélicot in 2020 filming videos under women's skirts in a supermarket, according to court documents.
Police searched Mr Pélicot's house and electronic devices, and found thousands of photos and videos of men engaging in sexual acts with Ms Pélicot while she appears to lie unconscious on their bed.
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The case of Gisele Pelicot has galvanised support for victims of sexual violence in France. (AP Photo/Michel Euler) AP
With the recordings, police were able to track down a majority of the 72 suspects they were seeking.
Ms Pélicot and her husband of 50 years had three children. When they retired, the couple left the Paris region to move into a house in Mazan, a small town in Provence.
When police officers called her in for questioning in late 2020, she initially told them her husband was "a great guy", according to legal documents. They then showed her some photos.
She left her husband and they are now divorced.
Last month Ms Pélicot spoke about her husband's "immeasurable" betrayal, and expressed sympathy for the wives, mothers and sisters of his 50 co-defendants, French media reported.
The sons of Gisele Pelicot, Florian, right, David, left, and her daughter Caroline Darian, centre. (AP Photo/Lewis Joly) AP
"I always wanted to pull you up, toward the light," she said, addressing her ex-husband. "You have chosen the depths of the human soul."
She spoke about her husband's "immeasurable" betrayal, and expressed sympathy for the wives, mothers and sisters of his 50 co-defendants, French media reported.
A verdict from a panel of five judges is expected on December 20.
- With Associated Press
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