This autumn, France has been shaken by the extensive rape case. For nine years, Gisèle Pelicot was drugged by her husband and raped by him and dozens of others. The trial against Dominique Pelicot and 50 other defendants has been ongoing since the end of September. On Wednesday, his ex-wife spoke in court for the second time. Here she says that she does not know if she has enough time left in her life to understand what has happened. – I am a woman who is completely destroyed. The 72-year-old has insisted that the trial be public, and has been massively praised in his home country. Demonstrations have been organized several times outside the courthouse in Avignon in support of Pelicot. On a wall near the courtroom are painted the words “Gisele, women thank you”. Photo: AFP In court, she said she hopes to change how society deals with abuse. – It is not us who should be ashamed. It’s up to them. “The perfect man” Pelicot did not want to look at the ex-husband who was in the room, but chose to speak directly to him anyway, several media outlets, including The Guardian, BBC and France24, write. – For me, he was someone I trusted completely. How could you have betrayed me like this? – You chose the darkest depths of human nature. It was you who made this choice. Pelicot says she believed Dominique was neither violent nor misbehaving towards her throughout their 50-year marriage. She describes him as the “perfect man”, and says they got through all life’s challenges together. – This matter is completely incomprehensible to me. I am trying to understand how this man, who to me was perfect, could have done this. – Never knew anything According to the indictment, she was drugged and raped around 200 times between 2011 and 2020. Most of the rapes were committed by her ex-husband, but up to 90 of the rapes were committed by strangers recruited online. In court, Pelicot told that her husband often served her ice cream in bed and that she later woke up with her pajamas on. Court drawing from October 11, showing Dominuqe Pelicot and the back of Gisele Pelicot’s head. Photo: AFP – I never knew anything. In the mornings I was more tired than usual, but I walk a lot and thought it was because of that. Pelicot said she often felt responsible for the rapes, as years ago she had been unfaithful. – I thought that maybe it was revenge, because he had suffered so much. But he also had affairs. We have talked about this. Journalist, nurse and soldier among the defendants The police have been investigating Dominique Pelicot since 2020, when he was caught filming under the skirts of women in a shopping mall. At home they found large amounts of abuse material and message logs where he recruited strangers to have sex with his wife. The other 50 accused men are aged between 26 and 74. One of them is charged with sexual assault, while 49 are charged with rape. Five other people have also been charged with possessing child abuse material. Gisele has chosen to be open about what happened to her. She hopes it can help other women to come forward, and that society can change the way they deal with rape victims. Photo: AFP Most of them live less than 60 miles away from the village of Mazan, where Gisele and Dominuque Pelicot lived. According to The Guardian, the defendants include a nurse, a journalist, a prison guard and a trailer driver. Some of them have previous convictions for violence, sexual violence, drunk driving or drug possession. They all risk up to 20 years in prison if convicted. Some of the men have complained to Gisele Pelicot in court. A 44-year-old man said that he never thought he wanted to rape her, but that he was still guilty. Pelicot stated in court that the excuses are “unheard of”. – By apologizing, they are trying to excuse themselves. Published 23.10.2024, at 22.33
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Rape victim Gisele Pelicot confronted her husband in court – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
