Man who drugged wife in French gang-rape case: You will die alone

Tensions flared in the French gang-rape trial on Wednesday when Dominique Pellicote’s daughter Caroline shouted at her father from across the courtroom that he would “die alone like a dog”.

Caroline Darien, 45, has repeatedly said she is convinced her father drugged and abused her after half-naked photos of her sleeping were found on his laptop.

He has denied abusing her but has admitted that his wife drugged Giselle for a decade and had men rape her in their home while she was unconscious. was recruiting online.

Dominique Pellicote and 50 others have been on trial since September and a verdict is expected on December 20.

During an emotional day in court in Avignon, Gisèle Pelicot’s lawyers made their closing arguments, describing the historic nature of the trial and her courage to remain anonymous to bring the gang-rape case to light. Tribute paid.

In her statements to the court, Caroline expressed her dismay at her father’s constant lying.

Earlier this week, in a voice full of emotion, she told the court her life had been “stopped” when police showed her photos from her father’s laptop for the first time in 2020.

On Wednesday, Dominique Pellicote was given a chance to address her daughter for the last time on the stand in the trial.

The main defendant said that he wished very much that he still had Caroline’s support.

“Some may laugh but this is my daughter. I wish I could see her face. It hurts to see her like this,” he said in a glass box just meters away from his daughter and the rest of his family. said while sitting.

“I’d love to see him, I’d love to talk to him,” he added. As her voice trailed off, Caroline rose: “I’ll never come to see you. You’ll never die alone like a dog,” she cried.

“We all die alone,” he replied. “You especially,” she shot back.

It was the last public exchange between a father and daughter who by all accounts had a loving and close relationship for many years.

Mr Pellicott recalled visiting her in hospital when she was recovering from surgery as a child to hold and comfort her, and shared memories of her teenage years.

When he repeated that he would always love her even if she had stopped loving him, she looked on silently, tears streaming down her face – but made no reply.

Only then, when the session was over, she approached the box in which her father was sitting and shouted: “You had two months. [to tell the truth]!

During questioning, Mr Pellicott also said he was a sex addict and was found by police in November 2020 to be “unburdened”.

He denied that his crimes against his wife were motivated by feelings of inferiority or a desire to avenge their relationship in the 1980s.

Asked what he thought of chemical submission – drugging someone for the purposes of coercion or assault – he replied: “It’s bullshit. It destroys everything. It should not be done.

Arguments from Gisèle Pelicot’s legal team closed after Mr. Pelicot’s statements.

Lawyers for 50 other defendants will make their closing arguments starting next week. They are expected to explore more deeply the defense that many of the men could not be guilty because they did not realize Ms Pellicott was unconscious and therefore did not “know” he was her. They are abusing each other.

Over the course of nearly three hours, Ms Pellicote’s lawyers, Antoine Camus and Stéphane Babonneau, recounted the horrific story of Dominique Pellicote’s crimes, peppering her account with literary references.

“Each contributed to this monstrosity on their own level, and allowed the woman’s ordeal to continue. [philosopher] Hannah Arendt,” Mr. Camus said.

They pleaded with judges to impose sentences that reflected the extent of the suffering of Gisèle Pelicot and her family.

Mr Camus said he was aware of the “expectations and hopes in this room and beyond” for the trial, which he described as historic, because “we want and need it badly, urgently”. .

Leaning heavily on the concept of free will, he rejected the defense argument that the men who allegedly raped Ms Pellicott did so because they were intimidated by her husband. , manipulated or deceived. “Manipulation is not hypnosis,” he said.

He added that the fact that they all knew Mr Pellicott was “recruiting” a number of other men should also be taken into account by the judges.

“Everyone who came to this house of horrors knew that others had come before them and others would follow,” Mr Camus said.

Her colleague painted a devastating picture of Ms Pellicott’s life since her husband’s crimes came to light.

Stephen Baboneau then recounted how Ms Pellicote – who by then was living in a small village under her maiden name – insisted on remaining anonymous and opening the case to the public and the media.

He said it was in 2023, when the French media began reporting on the Pellicote case using a pseudonym, that “a sense of rebellion began to take hold of Giselle Pellicote”.

“He decided to take back control of his life. It was a moment of shame to change sides.”

He said he had a burning desire to stop hiding, because he had done nothing wrong. And she thought the details of her case and the videos of the alleged assaults would help expose the reality of the rape.

“In order for her story to be useful and to help other women she understood she had to remain anonymous,” Mr. Baboneau explained. “She had to accept that she would forever be a victim of Mazan’s rape.”

The lawyer also urged jurors not to accept that the defendants had “made a mistake” when – as some have said – they killed Ms Paley unintentionally or “out of stupidity or ignorance”. Wrapped the coat.

“If you accept the right to make mistakes, what’s to stop another man tomorrow from saying that when a woman said ‘no’ to him, he actually meant ‘yes’? That he too has made a mistake? “

“I ask you to reject the right to make mistakes that will endanger society – and at the risk of seeing more Gisèle Pelicots,” Mr Babonneau said.

He ended by paying tribute to Ms Pelicot and said the trial would be a “legacy” for future generations: “They will hear the name of Gisèle Pelicot, they will hear about her courage and her worth. Will listen.”

Looking at Ms Pellicott, she said: “You did your job. You went above and beyond what was expected of you.”

“Now, pass the torch to others to continue the fight you never chose.”

Gisèle Pelicot, to her right, wipes her eyes.