Wife raped by 50 men on husband’s invitation opts for open trial in France
‘I have nothing to hide, nothing to be ashamed of’, she told the courtroom, waiving her right to anonymity
The trial in Avignon (Vaucluse) is expected to last until December
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A woman who was drugged and subjected to rapes by more than 50 strangers at the invitation of her former husband, has been praised for her bravery after insisting that her case be heard in an open court.
The former husband of Gisèle Pélicot, 72, drugged her unconscious with sleeping pills and allowed the men whom he met in online chatrooms to have sex with her without her knowledge over a 10-year period between 2011 and 2020.
Ms Pélicot reportedly only found out what had happened after police investigating her husband for another offence discovered photos and films of the incidents on his computer.
The trial of the 51 men (the victim’s former husband and the 50 strangers) is underway in Avignon (Vaucluse) and is expected to last until December.
The public prosecutor charged with the case requested it be held huis clos (behind closed doors) due to its sexual nature as is standard practice in France to protect the victim’s dignity.
However, the 72-year old wife has waived this right and requested the trial be held in an open court.
Since the sexual content filmed by the husband will be shown as part of the trial, the public prosecutor had argued that “it would undermine the dignity of the individuals concerned” and be potentially harmful to have on public display.
‘I have nothing to be ashamed of’
Nonetheless, Ms Pélicot’s request for an open court was accepted.
“Even though there will be extremely difficult times ahead, I have nothing to hide, nothing to be ashamed of,” she is reported to have told the court.
Her choice has been widely commended online, with many people praising her courage.
“Shame must change sides,” her lawyer Antoine Camus said, arguing that it is the accused men whose dignity is in question, and not that of Ms Pélicot.
Ms Pélicot’s former husband – known in court filings as Dominique P. - confessed that he agreed to the rapes after advertising his wife as available for sex.
He filmed and took photos of many of the incidents but did not accept payment from the men, 14 of whom (those caught on filmed) have also confessed to rape.
The remainder of the accused deny that the victim was unconscious and argue that the act was consensual as part of “sexual roleplay”.
50 of the 72 men allegedly involved have been identified
So far only 50 of the 72 men alleged to have raped her have been identified. Some of them allegedly raped her multiple times.
Read more: Man accused of drugging wife and letting more than 50 men rape her in France
The men, aged between 26 and 70, include electricians, engineers, and firefighters from the Mazan, where the couple retired to in 2013, as well as around Paris where they lived before moving to the south.
The majority have no prior criminal record. Many have wives and children.
Police were able to identify some of the men through text messages between them and Dominique P. – despite the contacts being deleted and their numbers blocked.
Others were identified via facial recognition software that police used to analyse the thousands of photos and video records of the assaults that were found on a laptop owned by Dominique P.
