Leaning against the window of the accused box, Gwendoline O. wanders her lost gaze into the courtroom of the Paris Assize Court. Observing her this Wednesday, November 27, it is impossible to say with certainty that this 35-year-old woman, with her mouth constantly ajar, fully grasps the issues of what has been playing out before her eyes since Monday. Perhaps “more sedated than usual,” suggests the president. Diagnosed as schizophrenic, Gwendoline O. is suspected of having participated, with Olivier C., in the rapes, torture and kidnapping of Pedro (the first name has been changed), her former companion of 43 years, himself suffering from 'mental retardation.
Justice notably accuses the thirty-year-old of having raped Pedro several times using a dildo in Olivier C.'s apartment, in the 20th arrondissement of Paris between September and December 2021. However, the The question of his responsibility for the sordid acts that were committed should be at the center of the debates when the jurors retire on Friday. She faces a sentence of 30 years in prison. Accused of being the perpetrator, she is also considered a victim – rape, torture and kidnapping – of Olivier C. with whom she had a relationship at the time of the events.
