A man accused of being one the worst sexual predators in French history has claimed in court he did rape his wife and allowed multiple strangers to attack her.
Dominique Pélicot, 71, spoke for the first time about his alleged crimes, saying: ‘I recognise the facts in their totality.’
The white haired grandfather was appearing in the dock at the Vaucluse Criminal Court, in Avignon, following a week of ill health.
He is on trial alongside 50 other men, all of them accused of the ‘aggravated rape’ of his wife Gisèle, also 71.
She looked on impassively today at Pélicot shuffled into court using a cane to support himself, before owning up to crimes that had seen his own daughter describe him as ‘one of the greatest sexual predators’ of recent years.
In a shocking statement, Pélicot admitted: ‘Today, I maintain that, with the obligations we all have, I am a rapist, like everyone in this room. They cannot say otherwise.’
Pélicot also focused on alleged crimes he had allegedly suffered as a child, saying he was raped as a nine year old, and then forced to witness another sex attack when he was 14.
‘I remember nothing from my youth but shocks and traumas,’ said Pélicot, adding it changed when he met his wife as a teenager.
‘I was very happy with her,’ said Pélicot. ‘She was the opposite of my mother, who was completely rebellious. We had three children, and grandchildren, whom I never touched.’
He said Gisèle – from whom he has now divorced – ‘did not deserve this.’
Pélicot has been on remand since 2020, when he was first arrested on suspicion of drugging and then raping Gisèle, while inviting men he contacted on line to do the same.
Pélicot is facing a jail sentence of up to 20 years, along with all the other defendants.
Last week, psychologists described Pélicot as a ‘Jekyll and Hyde’ character who appeared like a normal husband during the day, and then drugged his wife so strangers could rape her at night.
Pélicot’s daughter, Caroline Darian, 46, last week told the court that he was ‘one of the greatest sexual predators’ of recent years.
She said he secretely photographed her in the nude, along with her two sister-in-laws.
This was at the same family home in Mazan, some 20 miles from Avignon, which Pélicot had invited the alleged rapists.
Pélicot was first arrested in September 2020 for secretely 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 being raped between 2011 and 2020.
Detectives have listed a total of 92 rapes committed by 72 men, 51 of whom have been identified.
Pélicot 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.
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.
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