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Gisele Pelicot (R), next to her lawyer Antoine Camus (L) and Stephane Babonneau (2-R) reacts at the Avignon courthouse during the trial of her former partner Dominique Pelicot accused of drugging her for nearly ten years and inviting strangers to rape her at their home in Mazan, a small town in the south of France, in Avignon, on September 16, 2024. | Credit: AFP<\/p>\n
Agency Report<\/span><\/p>\n Kindly share this story:<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI am a rapist,\u201d a 71-year-old Frenchman accused of drugging his wife so he and scores of strangers could assault her told a court Tuesday, returning to the dock after being ill for around a week.<\/span><\/p>\n Dominique Pelicot used a cane as he slowly entered the courtroom in the southern city of Avignon, before sitting on a blue armchair to give him enough comfort to take part in the hearings.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI am a rapist, like the others in this room,\u201d Pelicot said, referring to the 50 other defendants in the mass trial \u2014 men he allegedly recruited online to rape his then-wife, Gisele Pelicot.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThey all knew\u201d that he was inviting them to rape her, he said.<\/span><\/p>\n But he added: \u201cShe did not deserve this.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Dominique Pelicot has been accused of administering anti-anxiety drugs to Gisele for almost a decade, from 2011 to 2020.<\/span><\/p>\n While she was unconscious, he would rape her and recruiting dozens of other men he met online to do the same.<\/span><\/p>\n Dominique Pelicot has admitted the charges, but Tuesday is the first time he has spoken at any length since the trial began on September 2.<\/span><\/p>\n The court may also hear more from Gisele Pelicot, who was present in the courtroom alongside Dominique\u2019s brother, Joel.<\/span><\/p>\n Beatrice Zavarro, the defendant\u2019s lawyer, told AFP on Monday that he was suffering from \u201ca clot in the bladder\u201d and the beginning of a kidney infection.<\/span><\/p>\n But a medical exam ordered by the presiding judge found that he was in a fit state to appear in court, avoiding a delay of weeks or even months to the hearings.<\/span><\/p>\n Adjustments would be made to the \u201csequencing of the hearings\u201d and Dominique Pelicot would get \u201cregular rest\u201d, Zavarro said, adding that the health complaints were not an attempt by her client to escape justice.<\/span><\/p>\n Dominique Pelicot\u2019s testimony will be decisive for the 50 other men aged 26 to 74 on trial, four of whose cases are set to be heard in the coming days.<\/span><\/p>\n Some of the accused have admitted that he told them he was drugging his then-wife, while others claim they believed they were participating in a swinger couple\u2019s fantasy.<\/span><\/p>\n The case has prompted outrage across France, with thousands demonstrating in cities at the weekend to demand an end to rape and support Gisele Pelicot.<\/span><\/p>\n She requested that the trial be open to the public to raise awareness about the use of drugs to commit sexual abuse.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThanks to you I have the strength to see this fight through to the end,\u201d Gisele told demonstrators Monday.<\/span><\/p>\n AFP<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Gisele Pelicot (R), next to her lawyer Antoine Camus (L) and Stephane Babonneau (2-R) reacts at the Avignon courthouse during…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2444,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,2],"tags":[718,719,717],"class_list":["post-2443","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-crime","category-news","tag-dominique-pelicot","tag-gisele-pelicot","tag-mass-rape"],"yoast_head":"\n