Man and 50 others to face trial in France for raping drugged wife

A 71-year-old man is on trial in France, accused of drugging his wife and asking dozens of strangers to rape her in their home, a case that has shocked the country.

The husband, Dominique Pelicot, offered sex to his wife on a website and filmed the abuse, prosecutors said. Fifty other men accused of raping his wife as she was drugged to the ground are also on trial.

If found guilty, they face up to 20 years in prison.

Her lawyers say that because of her drug addiction, Pelicot’s wife had no idea about the rapes that were happening in their home in the southern French town of Mazan until police reported them to her four years ago.

“She knew nothing of what was being done to her. She had no recollection of the rapes she suffered,” lawyer Antoine Camus told France Bleu radio.

French media including Le Monde reported that police had come across thousands of photos and videos of Pelicot abusing his wife while investigating how several women said he used his phone to film up their skirts in a supermarket.

The men were of varying ages and backgrounds, French media reported. Some admitted guilt, while others said they believed their wife had pretended to be asleep.

The trial, during which video footage of the rapes will be used, will be a “terrible experience” for her, Camus said.

The trial began Monday and is expected to last until December. It will not be held behind closed doors, a common practice in cases of violent sex crimes.

Pelicot’s wife, now 72, said she wanted the event to be held publicly to warn the public about cases of sexual abuse and drug-induced blackouts, her lawyers said.

Lawyer Stephane Babonneau, who is also representing the victim, told French media she wanted to show “that shame has to turn the page”.

Beatrice Zavarro, Dominique Pelicot’s lawyer, told French media that the man confesses to the crimes he committed.