French woman in mass rape case condemns husband, other suspects as ‘degenerates’

AVIGNON, France — Gisele Pelicot, who was drugged and raped by dozens of men recruited by her husband, on Wednesday called the men on trial “degenerates,” and attempts by some defense attorneys to undermine her credibility sparked outrage in the courtroom.

The trial in the southern French city of Avignon of Dominique Pelicot and 50 other men accused of raping his wife shocked the world. The case also sparked protests across France in support of Gisele Pelicot, who has become a symbol of the fight against sexual violence.

“These men are degenerates. They committed rape,” Gisele Pelicot, 72, told the court after her ex-husband Dominique and one of his alleged main accomplices, Jean-Pierre Marechal, gave their testimony on Tuesday and Wednesday respectively.

“When they see a woman sleeping on the bed, no one thinks to ask themselves a question: ‘Do they have no brains?'” she said, adding: “Forgiveness doesn’t exist.”

Dominique Pelicot, 71, was seen crying during the day-long court hearing. She said: “I ask for forgiveness, although I don’t know if it can be forgiven.”

He is also accused of raping Marechal’s wife in her home after drugging her, with the complicity of her husband.

Gisele Pelicot has pushed for a public trial in an attempt to reveal the identities of her ex-husband and the 50 men he allegedly invited to rape her in a small village in southern France.

The court ordered attendees not to boo the suspects in the case, telling them they were innocent until proven guilty, in response to a skirmish between supporters of the victim and some of the defendants the previous day. Tensions continued to rise during Wednesday’s hearing.

The day’s fiercest arguments came when two defense attorneys representing the men Pelicot invited into his family home to abuse asked the court to show photos that they said raised questions about whether the victim was aware of what was happening to him.

Gisele Pelicot has vehemently rejected the allegations. “They are trying to trap me with these photos,” she said, reiterating that she never consented to any sexual activity. Her ex-husband said he took all the photos while his wife was unconscious.

“I felt humiliated when I was in that courtroom. They called me an alcoholic, a conspirator of Mr. Pelicot,” she said, adding that her life had been “destroyed” for 10 years.

“In the state I was in, I had absolutely no reaction. I was in a coma; the movies show that.”

Pelicot’s daughter, Caroline, was close to tears in the courtroom as her mother spoke. She later left the courtroom as visual evidence was shown.

Dominique Pelicot has denied drugging or sexually abusing Caroline, but images of her were found on her father’s devices, as well as images of her mother being raped. She told French media she had launched a public campaign against drug-induced sexual assaults to cope with the shock of her father’s arrest.

Dominique Pelicot pleaded guilty Tuesday to organizing the mass rape of his then-wife, asking for forgiveness and saying he ultimately hopes to win back his ex-partner, who filed for divorce after learning of the rapes from investigators.

But the court also said it would not be a problem if supporters applauded Gisele Pelicot as she left the courtroom, which some had already done.

Copycat crime

Earlier Wednesday, Marechal, 63, admitted working with Dominique Pelicot to drug and rape Marechal’s wife, Cilia, after the men met on a now-closed website. Marechal blamed his mentor and a difficult childhood for his actions. Marechal is not among those accused of raping Gisele Pelicot.

He said he met Dominique Pelicot on a website called Coco, where Pelicot shared with him photos of his wife being raped by men he recruited, describing how he drugged her.

Prosecutors allege Pelicot drugged Marechal’s wife and raped her in front of Marechal.

Dominique Pelicot pleaded guilty to raping Marechal’s wife and said he regretted his actions, adding that he had cut off contact with her after she woke up during one of the attacks while he was in her room.