Gisèle Pelicot condemns the crime of rape and says French society must change

Gisèle Pelicot described the gang rape of 51 men as a “case of cowardice” and said it was time for France’s “macho, patriarchal society”, which “trivializes rape”, to change.

Pelicot, who participated in the gang rape case since September, entered the court wearing a dark green jacket and a colorful scarf. He was questioned by defense lawyers after the last defendant in the case, Philippe L, left the stand.

He waived his right to anonymity so that the entire hearing could be heard in front of the public in the courthouse in Avignon.

Her ex-husband, Dominique Pelicot, admitted recruiting dozens of men online to rape her at their Mazan home for almost a decade.

In her opening statement on Tuesday, Ms Pelicot said she “knew what I was signing up to” by giving up her right to a closed-door hearing, but acknowledged “I can feel the fatigue today”.

Warning: Some details of this account are graphic from the beginning

This was the last chance that lawyers for men on trial for rape might have to convince judges that her ex-husband had somehow tricked them into raping her while she was unconscious.

The case didn’t just shock France, it attracted attention from around the world. Attention has been drawn to the issue of drug-induced sexual assault and questions have been raised about whether consent should become part of the French definition of rape.

Some of the 50 people admit to raping Gisèle Pelicot, but the majority do not.

While about 15 defendants were sitting in the defendants’ box, Dominique Pelicot, wearing a green sweater, sat in another chair, resting his chin on his hand.

Gisèle Pelicot sat behind the legal team with her two sons and daughter-in-law.

When asked if there was a difference between those who admitted to raping her and those who did not, Pelicot said “they all came to rape me… they all committed crimes.”

However, when the suspect confessed to rape in the defendant’s chair, he said, “I looked into his eyes.”

“I saw people who denied rape marching in front of the court,” he said. “I want to say to these men: when did Miss Pelicot give you the green light when you entered that bedroom?”

“I heard, ‘I was manipulated,’ I heard, ‘I drank a glass of water, I was drugged.’ So when did they not realize it?”

Mrs Pelicot was also asked why she continued to use her ex-husband’s name while her own children used other names.

The room fell silent when he calmly replied that when he first went to court in Avignon, he said his children were ashamed of the name, but his grandchildren were still called Pelicot.

“I want them to be proud of their grandmothers today,” she said.

“My name is now known all over the world. They should not be ashamed to bear this name. Today we will remember Gisèle Pelicot.”

Shortly before taking the stand, Philippe L, the last of the 50 defendants, said he was “surprised” by Dominique Pelicot receiving him at her home and insisting that he infiltrate Gisèle Pelicot.

He also denies rape, claiming that he put his conscience aside and “thought with my penis instead of my brain.”

The atmosphere in the courtroom heated up as Ms Pelicot was questioned by defense lawyer Nadia El-Bouroumi, who claimed she had used “harsh words” against her husband but not her other defendants.

“As I looked at you, I wondered—I’m sorry to say this—if we would ever see you cry again,” El-Bouroumi asked at one point.

The attorney’s combative and sometimes aggressive tone left the public and media in the courtroom gasping, with many shaking their heads in disbelief.

Looking back, Ms Pelicot dismissed suggestions that she might have “seen the signs” that something was wrong on the mornings after taking the drugs: “I’d wake up in my usual pajamas, so no.”

She explained that she lost 10 years of her life due to medical concerns arising from medications her ex-husband gave her without her knowledge.

“I thought I would either die or end up in a mental hospital,” he thought. “I’m 72 now and I don’t know how much time I have left.”

Defense attorneys then asked him questions about partially nude images found on Dominique Pelicot’s laptop of their daughter, Caroline.

Pelicot’s children then left the courtroom and did not return for a while. Gisèle Pelicot later said that this was “not a family feud.”

When a defense lawyer told Ms. Pelicot that she was still under the control of her ex-husband and could not fully condemn him, Pelicot stood silently in court as attorneys on both sides shouted at each other.

The presiding judge had to intervene to end the debate.

Later in the day, the court heard Dominique Pelicot’s statement to police in November 2020, two months after he was caught filming under women’s skirts by a supermarket security guard.

This eventually led police to find thousands of videos taken of men having sex with their wives while she was unconscious. She had no idea what was going on and realized that he had been drugging her from 2011 to 2020.

Dominique Pelicot admitted all charges.