The judge actually didn't want to show footage of Gisèle P.'s dozens of rapes publicly – but she insisted. Now the first evidence has been presented in the courtroom.
In the Avignon rape trial, photos and videos of the acts were shown publicly for the first time – at the express request of the victim, Gisele P., who was offered to be raped by her husband for years. At the trial in the southern French city on Friday, nine videos and a handful of photos of the acts were shown to spectators and media representatives. The shocking evidence took almost an hour to present.
Seven of 51 defendants can be seen in videos
The spectators in the courtroom and in an additional auditorium noticeably took their breath away when they were shown how Gisèle P. was abused by different men on the marriage bed at home in Mazan. The footage showed seven of a total of 51 defendants in the trial, whose cases were heard this week.
Gisèle P's ex-husband Dominique P. has confessed to repeatedly drugging his wife with sleeping pills and raping her from 2011 to 2020. In at least 92 cases, strange men who Dominique P. had contacted in internet forums were also involved.
“Shame has to change sides”
Gisèle P., now 72 years old, campaigned from the start to ensure that the trial did not take place behind closed doors as originally planned. “Shame has to change sides,” she emphasized.
For this reason, she also got the judge to reverse the decision on Friday not to publicly show the images of the acts in the trial. The decision was preceded by an almost two-hour discussion between the litigants.
Gisèle P. spent most of the time looking at her cell phone during the presentation of the videos and photos, while her ex-husband in the dock shielded his eyes or looked away. Some of the affected co-defendants looked, others looked at the floor. The co-defendants then again denied the accusation of rape.
Gisèle Pelicot deliberately sought publicity in the trial – and therefore ensured that the videos of the crime were shown publicly.
Perpetrators see themselves as “victims”
While some of the defendants in the trial argue that they thought it was a sex game between the couple and that the woman was just pretending to be asleep, one of the defendants interviewed this week described himself as Dominique P.'s “victim” and emphasized , having acted out of fear of him.
Another suspected that he had also been given drugs because he couldn't remember anything. Dominique P., on the other hand, emphasized several times: “They all knew about it.”
The defendants in the trial face prison sentences of up to 20 years. The verdict is expected in mid-December.
