A 72-year-old French woman was allegedly raped hundreds of times by her husband and dozens of strange men. The accused has now testified in court – and confessed to his crimes.
The trial shocked the whole of France: For years, a husband is said to have drugged his wife and abused her together with dozens of strange men. Now the main defendant in southern France has made a full confession. “I am a rapist, like everyone else in this room,” the 71-year-old said in court in Avignon.
“Mr President, I admit the allegations in their entirety,” said the pensioner in his first eagerly awaited statement on the accusations, which have received a lot of media attention in France since the trial began. The statement had been delayed several times due to health problems. The presiding judge had requested several medical examinations and had already considered adjournment of the trial.
Husband regularly anesthetized wife
The husband is said to have repeatedly drugged his now divorced wife over a period of almost ten years. He is then said to have had the woman raped in front of his eyes by strange men with whom he had previously made contact via an online platform. The 50 accused alleged perpetrators and the husband face up to 20 years in prison for the abuse.
His 72-year-old ex-wife Gisèle P. insisted that the trial take place in public and serve as a warning example for women who are drugged and then abused. The main defendant addressed his ex-wife and family during his testimony. “I am guilty of what I did,” said the pensioner.
Arrest for filming in public
Last week, Gisèle P. described in detail in court how she suffered from inexplicable memory lapses and gynecological problems for years before she learned how her husband had abused her.
The alleged abuse only came to light when the pensioner was arrested after filming under the skirts of supermarket customers. During a search, investigators found hundreds of videos of the crimes on the man's computer.
The defendant says that the impetus to drug and abuse his wife came from an acquaintance in an internet forum who posed as a nurse and gave him the necessary dosage of medication.
Debate about violence against women in France
The sensational court case has long since sparked a nationwide debate in France about sexual violence against women and the problem of the abuse of women who have been drugged. At the weekend, there were demonstrations in several cities against sexual violence and as a sign of solidarity with Gisèle P. Dozens of people also lined the courtroom in Avignon and applauded as the woman left the building.
