Monster of Avignon accepts he’ll die alone ‘like a canine’ after admitting to drugging his spouse and letting dozens of males rape her
The Monster of Avignon accepted he will die ‘like a dog’ after admitting to drugging his wife and inviting dozens of strangers he met online to rape her.
Dominique Pelicot, 71, has admitted sedating Gisele, his wife of 50 years, with powerful sedatives before he and other men raped her at their family home over a period of 10 years.
The rapist appeared in court for the final time as a panel of judges prepare to give their verdict on a trial that has rocked France over the past 10 weeks.
Making his final statement this morning, Mr Pelicot admitted to the court that he was a sex addict but denied drugging his daughter Caroline Darian when aged 20 and taking photographs of her semi-naked on a bed in lingerie.
Under questioning from his lawyer Maître Zavarro, Pelicot maintained that he had not abused his daughter, who, in an angry outburst earlier in the day, shouted: ‘I’ll never see you again! You’ll die alone like a dog!’
He said: ‘If I did take those pictures [of Caroline drugged and semi-naked] then I don’t remember taking them.
‘She will never believe me. I may die like a dog.
‘I am not asking her to stand behind my coffin [when I die]. There won’t be a coffin.’
Dominique Pelicot is accused of allowing multiple men to rape his wife while she was sedated
Pelicot’s wife of 50 years Gisele (pictured) was drugged with powerful sedatives before he and other men raped her at their family home over a period of ten years
Mr Pelicot admitted to the court that he was a sex addict but denied drugging his daughter Caroline Darian (pictured) when aged 20
Pelicot earlier admitted to the court that he was a sex addict and he described the practice of drugging women as ‘s***’.
The principal suspect completed his final statement this morning.
Lawyers for Madame Pelicot will later make their closing statements.
Yesterday, Ms Pelicot took the opportunity to condemn what she called the ‘macho, patriarchal society that trivialises rape’ after hearing ‘a lot of whispered, unacceptable things’ about the trial.
‘I knew what I was going to be exposed to by refusing to go to a closed hearing,’ she told the court in southeastern France this morning.
‘Obviously, I recognise that I am feeling tired today. I have been omnipresent. I find it very difficult when people say that it is practically commonplace to have raped Madame Pelicot.’
The courtroom in southeast France was filled as Ms Pelicot reflected on the impact of a campaign of abuse spanning a decade, in which she was raped and abused by her husband and dozens of other men while unconscious.
The trial of Dominique Pelicot and his 50 co-accused – described by Caroline as the France’s ‘worst sex case for 20 years – is expected to conclude at the end of December.
The case continues.
