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Frenchman accused of mass abuse of wife says 'I am a rapist', seeks forgiveness
Prosecutors have said Dominique Pelicot offered sex with his wife on a website and filmed the abuse. In addition to Dominique Pelicot, 50 other men accused of rape are also on trial in the southern city of Avignon.
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Gisele Pelicot (center) arrives with her lawyers Stephane Babonneau (right) and Antoine Camus 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 17, 2024. A court in the southern town of Avignon is trying Dominique Pelicot, a 71-year-old retiree, for repeatedly raping and enlisting dozens of strangers to rape his heavily sedated wife in her own bed over a decade. Fifty other men, aged between 26 and 74, are also on trial for alleged involvement, in a case that has horrified France. The court proceedings, which runs until December, are open to the public at the request of Dominique Pelicot's ex-wife and victim. (AFP/Christophe SIMON)
D
ominique Pelicot, the Frenchman accused of drugging his wife and recruiting dozens of strangers to rape her over a decade, on Tuesday admitted to the various criminal charges he faces and begged his family's forgiveness, French media reported.
Dominique Pelicot had been due to testify last week in a case that has shocked France, but his appearance was delayed due to health issues. He appeared in court with a cane.
"I admit to the charges in their entirety," Dominique Pelicot, 71, was cited as saying by BFM TV, whose reporter was present in the courthouse, adding: "I am a rapist just like all the others in this room ...
"I ask my wife, my children, my grandchildren to accept my apologies. I regret what I did. I ask for your forgiveness, even if it is not forgivable."
Pelicot faces charges including rape, gang rape and various privacy breaches by recording and disseminating sexual images.
He told the courtroom he had had a difficult upbringing and had been a victim of rape himself. At times he cried, according to French media.
His former wife, Gisele Pelicot, 72, who was in the courtroom during his appearance on the stand, also spoke, according to French media, saying: "It is difficult to hear from the mouth of Mr. Pelicot what he has just said."
Prosecutors have said Dominique Pelicot offered sex with his wife on a website and filmed the abuse. In addition to Dominique Pelicot, 50 other men accused of rape are also on trial in the southern city of Avignon.
Some of the other defendants have said they believed Gisele Pelicot was pretending to be asleep and had in fact consented to sex.
If found guilty, the defendants face up to 20 years in jail.
Gisele Pelicot insisted on a public trial to expose him and the other men accused of raping her and to shed a light on sexual violence, her lawyers have said.
To many, Gisele Pelicot has become a symbol of the struggle against sexual violence in France. On Saturday hundreds of people, mostly women, gathered in cities across the country to demonstrate support for her.
