Mass rape victim’s brave act in courtroom

A woman who was allegedly raped by 50 men after being drugged unconscious by her husband made one extraordinarily brave request in court.

WARNING: Graphic content

A retiree who was allegedly drugged by her husband and then raped unconscious dozens of times by strangers on camera bravely insisted the tapes be shown to the public in court.

The judge in the southern French city of Avignon had nine videos and several photographs of the alleged abuse of Gisele Pelicot shown in the courtroom and an adjoining public chamber, involving seven of the 50 men accused alongside her husband Dominique.

Present in the courtroom herself, Ms Pelicot looked at her phone during the hour and a half of screenings, while her ex-husband in the dock covered his eyes and several of his co-defendants watched themselves on the screen or stared at the floor.

Ms Pelicot, 71, has insisted on the trial being open to the public to draw attention to the use of drugs to commit sexual abuse, and had called for the lifting of restrictions on the screening of the images.

Gisele Pelicot, 71, was allegedly raped dozens of times by strangers after being drugged unconscious by her husband. She insisted that footage of the alleged abuse be shown to the public. Picture: Miguel Medina / AFP

In a stunning reversal from an earlier decision to keep the screenings behind closed doors, Judge Roger Arata accepted a request by her lawyers for the public to be present when the images were shown after a two-week legal battle.

“It’s a unique case: we don’t have one representation of rape. We have dozens, hundreds of videos of a rape,” Ms Pelicot’s lawyer Stéphane Babonneau said.

“Gisèle Pelicot thinks that this shock wave is necessary, so that no one can say after this: ‘I didn’t know this was rape’.”

Jean-Philippe Deniau, a journalist with France Inter Radio who has been covering the trial, said the videos were disturbing but essential pieces of evidence.

“When we work on trials about terrorist attacks, crimes, murders … there are always difficult moments,” Deniau told The Associated Press.

The videos and images were screened to challenge testimonies from some of the accused that they were unaware the victim was unconscious.

After the vision was shown on Friday, however, most stuck to their defence. They had earlier said they had thought they were taking part in a sex game.

After the screenings, one said he had “no memory” of the event. Another said he was “terrorised” by Dominique Pelicot even if it “doesn’t look like it” in the images.

A third said he had not heard Gisele Pelicot snoring or had “hoped she would wake up at the end”.

Dominique Pelicot has admitted to drugging his wife and inviting men to rape her between 2011 and 2020. Picture: Supplied

Dominique Pelicot covered his eyes in the dock as the footage was played. Court sketch: Benoit Peyruq/ AFP

‘Find meaning in suffering’

Dominique Pelicot filmed much of the abuse against his wife and also took meticulous records of the strangers visiting their home, which subsequently helped police uncover the crimes.

He has admitted to drugging his wife and inviting men to rape her between 2011 and 2020.

Arata ruled that the screening of video evidence would “not be systematic” and would occur only when “strictly necessary for exposing the truth”, and at the request of one of the parties.

Ms Babonneau said the ruling was a “victory” but “a victory in a fight that should not have been fought”.

Ms Pelicot’s willingness to highlight her suffering has won widespread praise and made her a feminist icon in France.

“For Gisele Pelicot, it is too late. The harm is done,” Babonneau said.

“But if these same hearings, through being publicised, help prevent other women from having to go through this, then she will find meaning in her suffering.”

Ms Pelicot’s willingness to highlight her suffering has won widespread praise and made her a feminist icon in France. People are seen taking part in a march in Ms Pelicot’s village in southeastern France in solidarity. Picture: Clement Mahoudeau/AFP

Accidental rape argument

The trial is currently hearing testimony from the men charged with responding to Dominique Pelicot’s solicitations and raping Ms Pelicot.

Forty-nine other men are accused of raping or attempting to rape Ms Pelicot.

Another has admitted to sedating his own spouse so that he and Dominique Pelicot could sexually assault her.

Some lawyers for the other 50 accused opposed the screening of video evidence.

“Justice does not need that in order to proceed. What is the point of these revolting screenings?” said lawyer Olivier Lantelme.

But for Antoine Camus, another lawyer in Gisele Pelicot’s team, the videos “cause the argument of accidental rape to collapse”.

“It was in reality a question of hatred of women,” he said.

Each defendant “contributed in their own small way to this banality of rape, to this banality of evil”, he said.

Beatrice Zavarro, Dominique Pelicot’s lawyer, who had previously backed the screening of the videos, did not comment on the issue on Friday.

The trial is scheduled to last until December.