Man and 50 others face trial in France for raping their wife

A 71-year-old man is on trial in France on charges of drugging his wife over a period of nearly a decade and inviting dozens of strangers to rape her in his home. The case has shocked the country.

The husband, Dominique Pelicot, offered sex with his wife on a website and filmed the abuse, prosecutors said. Fifty other men accused of raping his wife when she was unconscious from the drugs are also on trial.

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

Because of the drugs, Pelicot’s wife was unaware of the rapes that took place in their home in the southern French town of Mazan until police alerted her four years ago, her lawyers said.

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

French media such as Le Monde reported that during their investigation, the police had come across thousands of images and videos showing Pelicot being abused by his wife. Several women had stated that he had filmed them up their skirts with his mobile phone in a supermarket.

The men were of all ages and from all walks of life, French media reported. Some admitted their guilt, while others said they believed the wife had pretended to be asleep.

The trial, which will also include video footage of the rapes, will be a “terrible ordeal” for her, said Camus.

The trial began on Monday and is scheduled to last until December. It will not take place behind closed doors, as is usual in sex crimes cases.

Pelicot’s wife, now 72, said she wanted to keep the incident public to raise awareness about sexual abuse and drug-related blackouts, her lawyers said.

Lawyer Stephane Babonneau, who also represents the victim, told French media that she wanted to show “that shame must change sides.”

Beatrice Zavarro, a lawyer for Dominique Pelicot, told French media that he admits his crimes.