'They knew everything,' says former husband who invited dozens of men to rape Gisèle Pelicot
Testimony will be crucial for judges to decide on fate of some 50 other accused men
WARNING: This article may affect those who have experienced sexual violence or know someone affected by it.
A 71-year-old French man admitted in court on Tuesday that for nearly a decade, he repeatedly drugged his unwitting wife and invited dozens of men to rape her while she lay unconscious in their bed.
In a trial that has gripped France and raised new awareness about sexual violence, Dominique Pelicot told the court that he also raped his wife, Gisèle Pelicot, who has since divorced him, and that the 50 men standing trial alongside him understood exactly what they were doing.
"Today I maintain that, along with the other men here, I am a rapist," Dominique Pelicot told the court. "They knew everything. They can't say otherwise."
Dominique Pelicot's testimony is the most important moment so far in a trial that has shocked and gripped France, and raised new awareness about sexual violence.
While he previously confessed to investigators, the court testimony will be crucial for the panel of judges to decide on the fate of some 50 other men standing trial with him. Many deny having raped Gisèle Pelicot, saying they were manipulated by her then-husband or claiming they believed she was consenting.
The fact that Dominique Pelicot says the men were fully aware of what they were doing isn't necessarily surprising given how they met him and the explicit instructions they had to follow, said Ummni Khan, an associate professor of law and legal studies at Carleton University in Ottawa.
"It's depressing. It's mind-boggling," Khan, who researches gender, sexuality and the law, told CBC News.
And it's disturbing that so many assumed Dominique Pelicot's consent was enough, or that perhaps this was some kind of kink or sex game and they didn't need explicit consent, she said.
"Sex without consent is always assault."
Accused wanted his wife to participate in partner swaps
Gisèle Pelicot 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.
Under French law, the proceedings inside the courtroom cannot be filmed or photographed. Dominique Pelicot is brought to the court through a special entrance inaccessible for the media, because he and some other defendants are being held in custody during the trial. Defendants who are not in custody come to the trial wearing surgical masks or hoods to avoid having their faces filmed or photographed.
After days of uncertainty due to his medical state, Dominique Pelicot appeared in court Tuesday and told judges he acknowledged all the charges against him. His much-awaited testimony was delayed by days after he fell ill, suffering from a kidney stone and urinary infection, his lawyers said.
Dominique Pelicot said he had wanted his wife to participate in partner swaps and her refusal, together with trauma from his youth, had helped to trigger his abusive behaviour.
"It became a perversion, an addiction," he told the courtroom.
Gisèle Pelicot was in the courtroom during his appearance on the stand and was greeted with applause by spectators when she left during breaks.
'One is not born a pervert'
Seated in a wheelchair, Pelicot spoke to the court for an hour, from his early life to years of abuse against his now ex-wife. Expressing remorse, his voice trembling and at times barely audible, he sought to explain events that he said scarred his childhood and planted the seed of vice in him.
"One is not born a pervert, one becomes a pervert," Pelicot told the judges, after recounting, sometimes in tears, being raped by a male nurse in hospital when he was nine years old and then being forced to take part in a gang rape at age 14.
Pelicot also spoke of the trauma endured when his parents took a young girl in the family, and witnessing his father's inappropriate behaviour toward her.
"My father used to do the same thing with the little girl,'' he said. "After my father's death, my brother said that men used to come to our house."
At 14, he said, he asked his mother if he could leave the house, but "she didn't let me."
His explanations are an attempt to frame himself as a victim of abuse and circumstance, Khan said. But she also noted that he put in "significant effort and meticulous planning to execute his attacks."
"While he's admitted to being a rapist, he then uses the word 'pervert' a lot — which to me, is a misnomer," she said. "He's trying to advance a narrative that it's a weird kink, instead of a vicious attack."
'I trusted this man entirely'
Asked about his feelings toward his wife, Pelicot said she did not deserve what he did. "From my youth, I remember only shocks and traumas, forgotten partly thanks to her. She did not deserve this, I acknowledge it," he said in tears.
When asked by one of the lawyers if he thought he could win back his former partner, Dominique Pelicot said: "It is important to have hope. Otherwise, it's over."
After he spoke about his difficult upbringing, Gisèle Pelicot was given the opportunity to address the court.
"It is hard for me to hear this. For 50 years, I lived with a man. I couldn't imagine even one second that he could have committed acts of rape," she said. "I trusted this man entirely.″
The two looked at each other, him from behind the dock's glass window and her from the witness stand.
"I am guilty," he told her. "I regret everything I did. I ask you for forgiveness, even if it is unpardonable."
Asked if she wanted to respond, Gisèle Pelicot turned around and left the stand.
Investigators also found photos of his daughter
Gisèle Pelicot 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.
A security agent caught Pelicot in 2020 filming videos under women's skirts in a supermarket, according to court documents. Police searched Pelicot's house and electronic devices, and found thousands of photos and videos of men engaging in sexual acts with Gisèle Pelicot while she appears to lie unconscious on their bed.
With the recordings, police were able to track down a majority of the 72 suspects they were seeking.
In addition to the photos and videos of Gisèle Pelicot, investigators found photos of the Pelicots' daughter, Caroline Darian, and two daughters-in-law that were surreptitiously taken while they were in their underwear, getting undressed or taking showers, according to authorities.
Darian walked out of the courtroom Tuesday as her father was being asked about photos of her that were found on his laptop.
"Excuse me, I'm going to vomit," she said angrily, before rushing out. She has written a book about what happened to her family, called And I Stopped Calling you Daddy.
Dominique Pelicot faces 20 years in prison if convicted. Besides Pelicot, 50 other men, aged 26 to 74, are standing trial.
For anyone who has been sexually assaulted, there is support available through crisis lines and local support services via the Ending Violence Association of Canada database.
For anyone affected by family or intimate partner violence, there is support available through crisis lines and local support services.
If you're in immediate danger or fear for your safety or that of others around you, please call 911.
With files from CBC News and Reuters