"I Am A Rapist": Says French Man Accused Of Recruiting Men To Rape Wife (image @strictly_zach)

“I am a rapist,” said 71-year-old Dominique Pelicot, who was accused of drugging his wife and recruiting over 50 men to sexually abuse her for over 10 years. He has admitted all charges against him in his first testimony since the trial started on September 2.

Pelicot said he is a rapist and is the same as the others in the room who took part in crime. “I am a rapist like the others in this room. They all knew, they cannot say the contrary,” he said.

Speaking of his ex-wife, Gisele Pelicot, he said, “She did not deserve this. I was very happy with her.”

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Gisele waived her right to anonymity and made the trial open to the public. The legal team said the move would shift the “shame” back on the culprit rather than the victim, as is found in most of the cases.

Given the chance to speak, Gisele said, “It is difficult for me to listen to this. For 50 years, I lived with a man who I would’ve never imagined could be capable of this. I trusted him completely.”

Pelicot, a father and a grandfather, started his testimony by telling the court about his traumatic childhood experiences. He said he was abused by a male nurse when he was nine years old. The man said he considered suicide when he came to know that Gisele was having an affair. He said he felt like crashing his car into a row of trees, but lacked the courage. He added that he should have.

Throughout the trial, he said he never “hated” his wife and was in fact “crazy about [her]… I loved her immensely and I still do.”

When he was asked about the thousands of videos he took of men abusing her while she was heavily drugged, which were instrumental in tracking down the 50 men who are accused of raping Gisele.

Pelicot said he had filmed them abusing his wife partly for “pleasure”, but also “as insurance, since today, it is thanks to [the videos] that we have been able to find the people who took part in this”.

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One of Gisele’s lawyer questioned him on why he could not stop abusing her, even when she started presenting medical problems which were side effects of the drugs he was giving her.

Pelicot said though he tried he could not stop, as his addiction was stronger, and his need was growing. He is also accused of drugging and abusing his daughter, Caroline. Semi-naked photos of her were found in his laptop. Though he previously denied this, later confessed.

He stated that he had never touched his grandchildren. “I can look my family in the eyes and tell them that nothing else occurred,” he said.