A man who invited dozens of men to abuse his wife while she was unconscious for more than a decade has revealed the motive behind his sick crime.
Gisèle Pelicot, a 72-year-old former logistics manager, drew media from around the world after accusing her ex-husband, Dominique Pelicot, of drugging, raping her, and inviting 51 other men to do the same over nine years, per CNN.
She only learned of her devastating ordeal when authorities came across the heartbreaking videos and pictures her former husband recorded of the abuse he is accused of orchestrating.
The mother-of-three became a national hero after waiving her right to anonymity so the entire trial could be heard in court in Avignon, southern France. She said she hoped her case would help other victims speak up.
She alleged that Dominique crushed sleeping tablets and anti-anxiety medication into her food and invited many men to sexually assault her while she was unconscious from the years 2011 to 2020 in the village of Mazan in Provence.
Per The New York Times, the accused were men who were married or in committed relationships and had children.
Most were tradesmen, firefighters, truck drivers, journalists, and nurses ranging in age from 26 to 74, and lived close to the town the couple retired to in 2013.
About 15 of them, including Dominique, have pleaded guilty. Most put all the blame on the woman’s husband, saying he had manipulated them. Others claimed that they did not realize they were committing acts of rape or did not intend to rape her.
Dominique has confessed to the charges against him, telling the court: “I am a rapist.”
He also revealed the motive behind the horrific crimes, revealing he wanted to “control women,” cited by News.com.au.
“Here is my motive. You can do what you want with it,” he continued, adding that he was also abused as a child and it caused “a break in me. It lasted for life”.
According to BBC News, partially nude pictures of Dominique’s daughter Caroline were discovered on his laptop.
When asked about the file he had called “my naked daughter,” he addressed Caroline across the room and said: “I have watched her fall apart… Caroline, I never touched you.”
Caroline reportedly yelled: “You are lying. I am sick of your lies. You’re alone in your lies, you will die lying.”
On Tuesday (November 19), a day before closing statements were set to begin, Gisèle was given the chance to address the criminal court one last time.
“It’s difficult for me to hear that it’s basically banal to have raped Madame Pelicot,” she said, referring to herself. “This is a trial of cowardice,” per New York Times.
Gisèle remarked that “it’s time that the macho, patriarchal society that trivializes rape changes … It’s time we changed the way we look at rape,” cited by The Guardian.
She also addressed her husband: “Why did it come to this? I think what he wanted was Madame Pelicot and not someone else…As I didn’t want to go to a swingers’ club, he thought he’d found the solution by putting me to sleep.”
The brave woman said she would never forgive Dominique. The couple’s two sons shared a similar sentiment and asked the court to punish him severely.
The trial continues until December 20.