Final stage in the gang rape case that horrified France

After 10 weeks, the gang rape case that shocked France is entering its final phase with the closing statements.

The case focuses on Dominique and Gisèle Pelicot, a retired couple who are now in their early 70s.

Ms Pelicot’s legal team will give their final submissions on Tuesday, followed by the defense ahead of a decision by a five-judge panel on December 20.

Dominique Pelicot was tried along with 50 others in the southern city of Avignon in September.

Every part of this case was played out in public because Ms. Pelicot waived her confidentiality, making the entire case available to the media and the public.

In France it became known as: Affair Mazanafter The village near Avignon where the pelicots live.

In November 2020, Dominique Pelicot admitted to drugging his then-wife for almost a decade and recruiting dozens of men online to rape her in their home while she was unconscious.

Police tracked down the other defendants from thousands of videos they found on Mr Pelicot’s laptop, but were unable to identify the other 21 men. Investigators said they had evidence that around 200 rapes occurred between 2011 and 2020.

The majority of the defendants deny the rape charges, arguing that they cannot be guilty because they did not realize that Ms Pelicot was unconscious and therefore “did not know” that they had raped her.

This line of defense sparked a nationwide debate about whether consent should be included. France’s legal definition of rapeIt is currently defined as “any act of sexual penetration performed against another person through violence, restraint, threat or surprise.”

The trial also shed light on the issue of chemical abuse (drug-induced sexual assault).

Loss of consciousness and memory loss after years of marriage

Dominique and Gisèle Pelicot, both born in 1952, married in 1973 and had three children. While working as a manager for a large French company, he himself, a trained electrician, started several businesses that ultimately failed.

The Pelicots lived in the Paris area until 2013, after which they retired to the picturesque southern village of Mazan. They had a large house with a swimming pool and were often used to entertain their extended family during summer holidays.

By all accounts they were a happy, close-knit couple. “We shared holidays, anniversaries, Christmases… It was all happiness for me,” Ms. Pelicot said.

Between 2011 and 2020, Ms. Pelicot experienced troubling symptoms that she thought were signs of Alzheimer’s or a brain tumor and underwent extensive medical examinations. Loss of consciousness and memory loss were actually side effects of the drugs her husband gave her without her knowledge.

Mrs. Pelicot divorced her husband shortly after his crimes were discovered. For purposes of the lawsuit, she uses only her married name.

Dominique Pelicot has been in prison since November 2020. He will be sentenced to prison next month along with 50 other defendants.

How did the case arise?

In September 2020, Dominique Pelicot was spotted filming under women’s skirts by a security guard at a supermarket in the south of France.

Police detained him and seized his electronic devices. They noticed suspicious chats on his Skype account and then found thousands of videos of men having sex with Mr Pelicot’s wife, Gisèle, and a woman who appeared to be unconscious.

Investigators worked for weeks to gather enough evidence to take Mr. Pelicot into custody and eventually arrested him in November 2020. Pelicot immediately pleaded guilty to all charges.

When Ms Pelicot was questioned by police and shown photographs and videos of herself appearing to be unconscious, it emerged that she had no knowledge of what had happened to her. She denied consenting to sex with other men and found that her husband had been drugging her for almost a decade.

Fifty-one men on the pier

Fifty men aged between 26 and 72 are also on trial alongside Mr Pelicot.

They come from all walks of life: among them there is a firefighter, a carpenter, a nurse and a journalist. Many of them are married with children. Most lived within 60 km (37 mi) of the Pelicots’ home.

A handful of people confessed to raping Pelicot.

However, the majority reject the accusations. Their defense is based on the fact that they did not believe what they were doing was rape because they were not aware that the woman was unconscious and therefore could not give her consent.

Mr Pelicot has repeatedly denied this was the case and insisted he made it clear his wife would be asleep when he recruited men online. “They all knew, they can’t say otherwise,” he said.

What has Gisèle Pelicot told the court so far?

It was Gisèle Pelicot who decided to give up her anonymity; This is highly unusual in rape cases. The legal team also insisted Videos of rape allegations will be shown in court.

Ms Pelicot said she hoped her decision would empower other victims of sexual violence to speak out: “I want all women who have been raped to say: Madam Pelicot did it, I can do it too. I don’t want them to be ashamed.” Now.”

He hit back at the defense’s “insulting” claims that he might have been drunk or pretended to be asleep during the alleged rapes, stating that he was never interested in switching partners or having threesomes.

But Mrs. Pelicot also spoke candidly about the devastation her husband’s abuse and lies had wrought on her life. “People can see me and think: This woman is strong,” she said. “The façade may be strong, but behind it lies a field of ruin.”

How did France react to the case?

The horror of Dominique Pelicot’s actions, the large number of men involved in the case, and Gisèle Pelicot’s decision to press for a public hearing mean that the trial attracted a great deal of attention.

Every day, dozens of people attend the court in Avignon to support Ms. Pelicot, greeting her with applause and giving her flowers.

Murals depicting her distinctive look, with a short bob and round sunglasses, have appeared across the country, and demonstrations have been held all over France in support of her.

After all, it is credited by many with sparking a debate on rape culture, misogyny, and chemical submission.

Many feminist groups are pressing for the government to change the definition of rape to include consent, as is currently the case in many European countries.

“Society has already accepted the fact that the difference between sex and rape is consent,” said Greens senator Mélanie Vogel, who proposed a consensual rape bill last year. “But criminal law did no such thing.”