Warning: This story contains disturbing details from the beginning.
Dominique Pellicote, a 71-year-old man accused of drugging his wife and recruiting dozens of men to abuse her over a 10-year period, began his trial on September 2. In his first testimony, he has admitted all the charges against him.
Referring to the 50 co-defendants accused of raping his ex-wife Giselle, Mr Pellicote said: “I am a rapist like everyone else in this room.”
“They all knew, they couldn't say otherwise,” he said. Only 15 of the 50 defendants admitted to rape, most saying they only participated in sexual acts.
Of his ex-wife, Mr Pellicott said: “She didn't deserve it.”
“I was very happy with it,” he told the court.
Gisèle, who was given a chance to respond shortly after, said: “It's hard for me to hear this. For 50 years I've been with a man I didn't think was capable. I trusted him completely.”
Although no cameras are allowed in court, the trial is open to the public at the request of Gisèle Pelicot, who waived her right to remain anonymous at the start of the proceedings. His legal team said going to trial would shift the “shame” back onto the accused.
As she left the courtroom during a break in the hearing on Tuesday, Giselle received applause from onlookers, and smiled as she accepted a bouquet of flowers.
Since the trial began, Gisèle has become a symbol of resilience and courage. Last weekend, thousands of people gathered in French cities to show their support for her and other rape victims, and the trial. Launched a national conversation on marital rape, consent and chemical submission..
Mr Pellicott, a father and grandfather, began his testimony by telling the court of his traumatic childhood experiences, saying he was abused by a male nurse when he was nine.
When asked about their marriage to Gisele, Mr Pellicote said he considered suicide when he found out she was having an affair.
Throughout his testimony on Tuesday morning, Mr Pellicott repeatedly assured the court that he never “hated” his wife and was in fact “crazy”. [her]I loved him immensely and still do.
“I loved her for 40 years well and good for 10,” she added, apparently referring to the decade during which he drugged and abused her.
Mr Pellicott was then questioned by Stephen Baboneau, one of Gisele's lawyers, who asked him why he could not find a will to stop the abuse, even when he had medically approved it. Problems started to arise.
In previous sessions of the trial, Giselle said she was worried she was developing Alzheimer's or a brain tumor because of her hair and weight loss and her large memory gap. It was actually a side effect of the drugs her husband was giving her.
“I tried to stop, but my addiction was strong, the need was growing,” he said.
“I was trying to reassure him, I betrayed his trust. I should have stopped sooner, in fact I should never have started.”
Mr Pellicott is also accused of drug possession and abuse after half-nude images were found on his daughter Caroline's laptop. He has previously denied this and on Tuesday also said he never touched his grandson. “I can look my family in the eye and tell them nothing else happened,” he said.
Mr Pellicott also said that when he met a male nurse on the internet in 2010 who advised him to give his wife a sedative, explained how to administer it and shared photos of drugged women. “It all just clicked,” Mr Pellicott said. “Then it all started.”
In part of Tuesday's hearing, Mr Pellicott was also asked about the thousands of videos he made of men abusing his unconscious wife. These were found by investigators and were instrumental in tracking down the 50 men who are now accused of rape.
Mr Pellicott admitted he filmed the men partly for “fun”, but also “as insurance”.
During the morning, Mr Pellicott appeared determined to reject a key line of defense by several accused, which hinges on the premise that he did not “know” he was abusing Giselle – in other words , that they thought they had consent. Intercourse with him.
Mr Pellicott met the defendants “without his knowledge” in a chat room on a now-defunct website that hosted obscene material.
“I didn't force anybody, they came looking for me,” he said Tuesday. “They asked me if they could come, and I said yes. I've never handcuffed or dragged anybody.”
Some have said that they were “manipulated” by Mr. Pellicote into believing that they were participating in an erotic game in which Giselle was sleeping only because she was shy, and Many denied that they knew they were being filmed.
But Mr Pellicott said the only person he ever “manipulated” was his wife, adding that the men would know they were being filmed: “There's a tripod and a screen next to it. It was on, everyone could see it in the room.”
Mr Pellicott said he wanted to prove his wife was “a victim and not an accomplice. To prove everything happened without her knowledge.” [defendants] What is the dispute about it?”
Mr Pellicote's lawyer Béatrice Zavaro told French TV that she did not know what people would think of her client, but that he was “telling his truth”.
She added that Mr Pellicott was “very low” and although she did not know how his wife would react to the apology, “the confession is on now and it will continue.”
He said: “We will get to the end of this trial and we will know everything about Dominique Pellicote.”
Mr Pellicott, who was diagnosed with a kidney infection and kidney stones, was absent from court for about a week due to the illness. He is prepared to give his testimony throughout the day, although he will be allowed frequent breaks.