The final phase of the gang-rape trial that has shocked France.

After 10 weeks, the mass-rape trial that shocked France is heading into its final phase of closing statements.

The case centers on a formerly married couple, Dominique and Giselle Pellicote, pensioners now in their early 70s.

Ms Pellicott’s legal team will make their closing statements on Tuesday, and the defense will follow, ahead of a decision by the five-judge panel expected on December 20.

Dominique Pellicote went on trial in the southern city of Avignon in September along with 50 other men.

Every chapter of the case has gone into a frenzy of publicity because Ms. Pellicott has waived her anonymity, opening up the entire trial to the media and the public.

In France, it is known as Mazen matterAfter The village near Avignon where the Pelicots lived..

In November 2020, Dominique Pellicote admitted that he drugged his then-wife for nearly a decade and recruited dozens of men online to rape her in their home while she was unconscious. .

Police traced his co-accused from thousands of videos found on Mr Pellicott’s laptop, although they were unable to identify a further 21 men. Investigators said they have evidence of nearly 200 rapes between 2011 and 2020.

Most of the defendants deny the rape charges, arguing that they cannot be guilty because they did not realize that Ms. Pellicott was unconscious and therefore did not “know” that he was raping her. are doing

This line of defense has sparked a nationwide debate about whether consent should be included. The legal definition of rape in Francecurrently defined as “any act of sexual penetration against another person by violence, restraint, threat or surprise”.

The case has also highlighted the issue of chemical submission – drug-induced sexual assault.

Dominique and Giselle Pellicote, both born in 1952, married in 1973 and had three children. He worked as a manager in a large French company, while he – a trained electrician – started several ultimately unsuccessful businesses.

The Pellicotes lived in the Paris area until 2013, when they retired to the picturesque southern village of Mazan. They had a large house with a swimming pool and often enjoyed their summer vacations with their family.

By all accounts, they were a happy, close couple. “We shared holidays, birthdays, Christmases… it was all a joy to me,” Ms Pellicott has said.

Between 2011 and 2020, Ms. Pellicott experienced troubling symptoms that she believed to be signs of Alzheimer’s or a brain tumor, and underwent extensive medical tests. The blackouts and memory loss were actually side effects of the drugs her husband was giving her without her knowledge.

Ms Pellicott divorced her husband soon after his crimes came to light. She is only using her married name for the purposes of the lawsuit.

Dominique Pellicote has been in prison since November 2020. He will be sentenced next month along with 50 other defendants.

In September 2020, Dominique Pellicote was spotted by a security guard filming up women’s skirts at a supermarket in southern France.

The police detained him and confiscated his electronic devices. They looked at suspicious chats on his Skype account, then found videos of thousands of men having sex with an apparently unconscious woman – Mr Pellicott’s wife, Gisele.

Investigators worked for weeks to gather enough evidence to take Mr. Pellicott into custody and finally arrested him in November 2020. He immediately confessed to all the charges.

When police questioned Ms Pellicott and showed them photographs and videos of her unconscious, it became clear that she had no idea what had happened to her. She denied ever consenting to sex with other men and felt that her husband had drugged her for nearly a decade.

Fifty men – aged between 26 and 72 – are on trial alongside Mr Pellicott.

They come from all walks of life: they include a fireman, a carpenter, a nurse and a journalist. Many are married with children. Most lived within 60 kilometers (37 mi) of the Pellicoats residence.

A handful have confessed to abusing Ms Pellicott.

However, the majority rejects these allegations. Their defense rested on the fact that they did not believe what they were doing was rape, as they were not aware that she was unconscious and therefore could not have given her consent.

Mr Pellicott has repeatedly denied this, insisting that when he recruited men on the internet he made it clear that his wife would be sleeping. “They all knew, they couldn’t say otherwise,” he has said.

It was Gisèle Pelicot who decided to remain anonymous – extremely unusual in rape cases. His legal team also insisted for him. The videos of the alleged rape will be shown in court..

Ms Pellicott said she hoped her decision would give other survivors of sexual violence the strength to speak out: “I want all women who have been raped to say: Madam Pellicott I can do it. I don’t want them to be embarrassed anymore.”

She has responded forcefully to “disgraceful” suggestions by the defense that she was drunk or pretending to be asleep during the alleged rape, saying she was never interested in changing partners or having sex. kept

However, Ms Pellicott has also spoken openly about the devastation her husband’s abuse and lies have wreaked on her life. “People can look at me and think: That woman is strong,” she said. “The facade may be strong, but behind it is a field of ruins.”

The horror of Dominique Pellicote’s actions, the large number of men involved in the case and Gisele Pellicote’s decision to press for an open trial have meant that the proceedings have received considerable attention.

Dozens of members of the public attend the courthouse in Avignon every day to support Ms. Pellicote, meet her with applause and flowers.

Murals have appeared across the country depicting his distinctive look of a short bob and round sunglasses, and there have been demonstrations across France in support of him.

Above all, he is credited by many with discussing rape culture, abuse and chemical submission.

Several feminist groups are now urging the government to amend its definition of rape to include consent, as many European countries already do.

“Society has already accepted the fact that the difference between sex and rape is consent,” said Greens senator Melanie Vogel, who proposed a consensual rape law last year. “However, the criminal law did not.”