Gisele Pelicot’s ex-husband of 50 years, Dominique Pelicot, admitted that he knocked her out with drugs so he and strangers he recruited online could rape Gisele whilst filming her.
All 51 men have also been found guilty on rape and sexual assault charges against Gisele Pelicot, 72. Only one man who was charged of rape has had his charge reduced.
Pelicot testified that he hid tranquillisers in food and drink that he gave his then-wife, knocking her out so profoundly that he could do what he wanted to her for hours.
“I’ve decided not to be ashamed — I’ve done nothing wrong,” Gisèle said in court.
“They (rapists) are the ones who must be ashamed.
“I’m not expressing hatred or hate, but I am determined that things change in this society.
“It’s not courage. It’s determination to change things. This is not just my battle, but that of all rape victims.”
Dominique admitted: “I am a rapist.
“I acknowledge all the facts [of the case] in their entirety.”
Police subsequently found his library of homemade images documenting years of abuse inflicted on his wife — more than 20,000 photos and videos in all, stored on computer drives and catalogued in folders marked ‘abuse’, ‘her rapists’, ‘night alone’ and other titles.
The abundance of evidence led police to the other defendants.
In the videos, investigators counted 72 different abusers but were not able to identify them all.
Although some of the accused — including Dominique Pelicot — acknowledged they were guilty of rape, many did not, even in the face of video evidence.
The hearings sparked wider debate in France about whether the country’s legal definition of rape should be expanded to include specific mention of consent.
Some defendants argued that Dominique Pelicot’s consent covered his wife, too.
Some sought to excuse their behaviour by insisting that they had not intended to rape anyone when they responded to the husband’s invitations to come to their home.
Some laid blame at his door, saying he misled them into thinking they were taking part in consensual kink.
