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A retired electrician accused of repeatedly drugging his wife so dozens of strangers could rape her considered himself to be a “good husband”, a trial heard on Monday.
But Dominique Pelicot also had a split personality, making him a “very caring and much-loved grandfather by day” and a rapist at night, psychologist Bruno Daunizeau wrote in his report read out to the court in Avignon in France.
Dr Daunizeau compared Mr Pelicot, 71 – who faces up to 20 years in prison over the aggravated rape of his wife, Gisele Pelicot, also 71 – to Jekyll and Hyde; the Gothic horror character with a split personality.
Ms Pelicot has waived her right to anonymity so that the public could hear the case, which has drawn worldwide attention.
Last week, she told the court she was “sacrificed on the altar of vice” as she revealed how she discovered her husband had filmed the alleged rapes by dozens of men while she was unconscious, storing thousands of images that police investigators later found.
On Monday, Mr Pelicot was considered too ill to give evidence, and will be cross-examined by prosecutors later this week. However, details on his psychological state were given through reports from psychologists and police.
The court heard how Mr Pelicot had told detectives that he considered himself a “good husband’ to the woman he married in 1971 and had three children with.
He said he was respectful of his wife’s desires and refusals to sex, but also had fantasies about swinging, and got pleasure in seeing his wife undergo sexual acts that she normally refused.
A psychological report submitted to the court suggested Mr Pelicot displayed a tendency towards paraphilia – sexual arousal in atypical situations – and also somnophilia – an attraction to unconscious partners.
This made him a “very caring and much-loved grandfather by day” but “a rapist at night”, Dr Daunizeau explained in the report.
“During the day, you can be normal, and have another face at night,” said Dr Daunizeau, who said he had a split-personality character like Jekyll and Hyde.
Marianne Douteau, another psychologist, said that Mr Pelicot still felt his life could have carried on as normal had he not been caught. She agreed he had a split personality, and had inherited the temper of a violent father.
Dr Douteau added: “He is a patriarch but he is also irresponsible and manipulative... behind closed doors he does not respect limits.”
On Friday, Mr Pelicot’s own daughter. Caroline Darian, 46, described him as “one of the greatest sexual predators” of recent years as she also accused him of drugging her and secretly taking nude photographs.
The alleged incidents – with Gisele Pelicot and Caroline Darian – took place at the family home in Mazan, some 20 miles from Avignon.
The court has been told that Mr Pelicot was first arrested in September 2020 for secretly filming up women’s skirts at a supermarket in Carpentras. His devices were searched with hundreds of photos and pornographic videos of women, including family members, allegedly discovered.
Some 3,800 photos and videos of Gisele Pelicot being raped, between 2011 and 2020, were among the haul, the court was told.
Detectives have listed a total of 92 rapes allegedly committed by 72 men, 51 of whom have so far been identified.
Alleged rapists involved in the case include civil servants, ambulance workers, soldiers, prison guards, nurses, a journalist, a municipal councillor, and truck drivers.
The trial continues, and is due to last until 21 December.
