The French woman at the centre of the “Monster of Avignon” multiple rape trial has addressed her abusive ex-husband for the first time in court, saying: “You chose the depths of the human soul.”
Gisèle Pélicot, 72, was speaking on Wednesday, as she once more gave evidence that could see Dominique Pélicot, 71, jailed for life, along with 50 other men.
All are accused of “aggravated rape”, while Pélicot has admitted drugging his wife and then violating her continually over a ten-year period.
The trial at the Vaucluse Criminal Court, in Avignon, has seen the so-called “Monster of Avignon” portrayed as one of the worst sex offenders in recent French history.
On the 35th day of the trial, Ms Pélicot said: “I seem to speak loud and clear – I am not expressing my anger or my hatred, but my will and my determination to change this society.
“I wanted all women who were victims of rape to be able to say to themselves that Ms Pélicot did it, so we can do it.
“When we are raped, we are ashamed, but it is not up to us to be ashamed, it is up to them to be ashamed.
“I am a completely destroyed woman and I don’t know how I can recover from this.
“Before continuing, I would like to address Mr Pélicot. I won’t be able to look at him, the emotional burden is too much. Fifty years lived with this gentleman. I would like to call him Dominique today.
“So many times, I told myself that I was lucky to have you by my side.”
She initially praised Pélicot for initally sticking with her during early suspicions of neurological problems, which were in fact caused by the drugs he was secretly feeding her.
“He took me to the neurologist, for scans when I was worried,” said Ms Pélicot. “He also accompanied me to the gynecologist. For me, he was someone I had complete trust in.
“I don’t understand how he could have got to this point. And I’m going to tell him: I’ve always tried to pull you up, towards the light. You chose the depths of the human soul. You’re the one who chose.”
Between 2011 and 2020, Ms Pélicot suffered a least 92 acts of rape by more than 80 men, 50 of whom are now facing justice.
Saying that “she couldn’t look at him,” Ms Pélicot added: “The rapist is not the one you meet in a parking lot, late at night. He can also be in the family, among friends.
Ms Pélicot continued: “I’m trying to understand how this husband, who was the perfect man, could have ended up like this.
“How my life could have turned upside down. How could you have let these individuals into our home when you knew of my aversion to swinging. For me, this betrayal is immeasurable.”
Speaking in more general terms, Ms Pélicot said she did not regret renouncing her right to anonymity in court.
She said: “Since September 2, I have not regretted having given up on the closed-door hearing, quite the contrary.
“I did it because this affair should never happen again and my example should serve as a guide for others.
“I’m told I have courage. It’s not courage, it’s will and determination to make this society evolve.”
At one point, Ms Pélicot suggested that her husband might have been taking revenge against her for having an affair three decades ago.
“Yes, he really suffered from the affair. I wondered if he wasn’t taking revenge,” she said.
“But almost 30 years later, that’s where I don’t understand. We talked about it a lot at the time, he also had mistresses.”
Ms Pélicot also referenced being regularly knocked out by her husband, but said she had no idea how the drugs worked.
“The only thing I remember is pushing open the door to the living room and then going black,” she daid.
“He could very well have put the medication in my orange juice or in my coffee.”
She said her husband was also always making meals for her. “Mr Pélicot prepared a lot of meals,” she said.
Pélicot was first arrested in September 2020 for secretly filming up women’s skirts at a supermarket in Carpentras.
His devices were searched, and there were hundreds of pornographic videos and photos of women.
It was while in custody that Mr Pélicot reported a hard drive, hidden under a printer, which contained a file called ‘Abuses’.
It classified the nickname and telephone numbers of attackers, together with some 3,800 photos and videos of Gisèle Pélicot being raped.
Pélicot’s sex ring involved advertising on a site for “partners” on an online forum called “Without Her Knowing” on the coco.fr site.
Of the 83 men involved, 51 aged between 26 and 73 were identified and arrested by the police.
Pélicot is said to have sedated his wife by putting Temesta – a powerful anxiolytic – into her evening dinner.
Alleged rapists involved in the case include civil servants, ambulance workers, soldiers, prison guards, nurses, a journalist, a municipal councillor, and truck drivers.
In a separate case, Pélicot has been charged with raping and murdering a 23-year-old estate agent in Paris in 1991.
He has admitted one attempted rape in 1999, after DNA testing proved a case against him.
The Avignon aggravated rape case is due to last until December 21.
Fourteen of the other defendants have also admitted rape, while the rest deny any wrongdoing.
