Dominique Pelicot, a 71-year-old Frenchman, admitted in court to drugging his wife, Gisele Pelicot, and facilitating her rape by dozens of strangers over nearly a decade, Reuters reports.
Dominique expressed regret and asked for his family’s forgiveness, although he acknowledged that his actions were unforgivable. He faces charges including rape, gang rape, and privacy violations for recording and distributing sexual images. The case, which has shocked France, involves 50 other men aged 26 to 73, who are also on trial for rape. Some of these men claimed they believed Gisele had consented, thinking she was pretending to be asleep, but Dominique disputed this in court.
The abuse came to light after Dominique was arrested for attempting to film up a woman’s skirt, which led to the discovery of 300 photographs and a video of the abuse. Gisele insisted on a public trial to expose her husband and the other men, aiming to bring attention to the issue of sexual violence.
