Gisele Pelicot calls her alleged attackers 'degenerates'

The French woman at the centre of the Monster of Avignon multiple rape trial today accused her attackers of being 'degenerates'.

Gisèle Pélicot, 71, took to the witness stand on Wednesday to give permission for the court to view horrific videos of her being drugged and raped by dozens of men. 

Her husband Dominque, 73, has been charged with raping her and arranging for at least 50 other men to sexually abuse her while drugged. 

Ms Pélicot told the court today that she felt humiliated by the suspicion expressed by defence lawyers that she may have been complicit in her ordeal.

'Not for a second did I give my consent to Mr Pelicot, nor to these men who are behind me,' she said.

'Since I arrived in this courtroom, I have been humiliated. I have been called an alcoholic, an accomplice of Mr Pelicot.

'I have heard everything. You have to have a degree of patience to endure everything I have to hear.'

Judge Roger Arata also asked her if she objected to photos and videos of her being raped being shown in court possibly as early as today. 

She replied: 'What matters to me is these videos, which are irrefutable proof of the rapes I suffered, are broadcast in this (court) room, but not to shock the public because these videos are unbearable.

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'But I do not want them seen by the wider public.'

The judge explained that journalists and members of the public were in an adjoining overflow room and warned observers not to record any images that would be shown.

As her cross-examination continued, Ms Pelicot raised her voice, stared at the accused, and said, 'For me, they are degenerates.'

In heated cross examination from lawyers some of the representing the other defendants, Mme Pelicot was asked if she was complicit in being photographed naked and if really she had ‘exhibitionist tendencies’.

But she hit back furiously and said:’I find that degrading and insulting. I never agreed to be filmed or photographed by my husband and for the pictures to be distributed.'

At one point the cross examination descended into a high pitched screaming match between Mme Pelicot and one of the defence lawyers with the judge having to intervene and call for calm.

Although her former husband has admitted being a rapist lawyers for his coaccused are arguing that their clients were duped by him after being told by him she was a 'consenting partner'.

They are highlighting how she appeared smiling in the photographs but she has insisted she was drugged and unaware of what was happening.

Defence lawyer Nadia El Bouroumi asked her in one furious exchange:'Prove to us Mme Pelicot how you can be drugged, not be a dead weight and appear conscious.'

She said: 'The photos were taken without my knowledge. In the garage it's not me. I have a mark above my belly button and I'm not the one on the bed.

On Tuesday, Pélicot confessed to all charges, saying he contacted his co-accused in online chat rooms, before filming their bestial crimes at his family home.

'I admit to the charges in their entirety,' said Pélicot. 'I am a rapist, just like everyone else in this courtroom. They cannot say otherwise.'

As the cross-examination continued, Pélicot insisted that he 'still loves' his ex-wife.

'I loved her well for 40 years and loved her badly for 10 years,' said Pélicot. 'I ruined everything, I lost everything. I should never have done that.'

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Dom Pelicot said he drugged his wife so 50 men could rape her because he was bored in retirement

Pélicot said he started the attacks on his wife because he was 'utterly idle' in retirement.

He also claimed he 'considered suicide' at one point, after learning that his wife was having an alleged affair.

Pélicot has been on remand since 2020, when he was first arrested on suspicion of drugging and then raping Ms Pélicot, while inviting men he contacted online to do the same.

Last week, psychologists described Pélicot as a 'Jekyll and Hyde' character who appeared like a normal husband during the day, and then drugged his wife so strangers could rape her at night.

Pélicot was first arrested in September 2020 for secretely filming up women's skirts at a supermarket in Carpentras.

His devices were searched, and there were hundreds of pornographic videos and photos of women.

It was while in custody that Mr Pélicot reported a hard drive, hidden under a printer, which contained a file called 'Abuses'.

There were some 3,800 photos and videos of Gisèle Pélicot being raped, between 2011 and 2020.

Detectives have listed a total of 92 rapes committed by 72 men, 51 of whom have been identified.

Pélicot's sex ring involved advertising on a site for 'partners' on an online forum called 'Without Her Knowing' on the coco.fr site.

Of the 83 men involved, 51 aged between 26 and 73 were identified and arrested by the police.

Pélicot is said to have sedated his wife by putting Temesta – a powerful anxiolytic – into her evening dinner.

Alleged rapists involved in the case include civil servants, ambulance workers, soldiers, prison guards, nurses, a journalist, a municipal councillor, and truck drivers.

In a separate case, Pélicot has been charged with raping and murdering a 23-year-old estate agent in Paris in 1991.

He has admitted one attempted rape in 1999, after DNA testing proved a case against him.

The Avignon aggravated rape case is due to last until December 21.

Fourteen of the other defendants have also admitted rape, while the rest deny any wrongdoing.