The profiles of six new defendants, suspected of having sexually assaulted Gisèle Pelicot, previously drugged by her husband, began to be dissected on Monday before the Vaucluse criminal court, halfway through the Mazan rape trial.
Absent on Monday, the main victim should however speak on Wednesday to give his impressions on this emblematic trial of chemical submission which began on September 2 and is scheduled to last until December 20.
Among the accused are Abdelali D., alias “Mehdi“, 48 years old. He came twice to the Pelicot home in Mazan (Vaucluse) in January then March 2018, and was taken on his first meeting by his partner at the time who had waited for him in the car.
“When I brought him, I waited in the car. It was night. I don’t know how long. He told me to park a little further away.” his ex-partner explained on the stand. In confusing testimony, she claimed not to have asked him any questions because she “didn’t want to know” what had happened.
Abdelali D. was later arrested after being recognized by the partner of another accused questioned by the police on this case. He initially denied it, despite the presentation of photos of himself taken from the videos filmed in the Pelicots’ bedroom, believing that it was a “sauce“On the first day of the hearing, however, he admitted the accusations.
After the incident, he suffered a stroke which left him partially hemiplegic. Today he has a recognized disability rate of 80%.
“Despite his efforts, he says that he cannot explain his return to the Pelicots when on his first visit he had the intuition of doing something stupid.e,” said psychiatrist François Amic.
The profiles of other accused dissected
Another accused, Patrice N., was able to give in to this “atypical sexual experience” because of his “neurotic immaturity“, according to Mr. Amic.
This 55-year-old electrician had during his interrogation described Dominique Pelicot as “sick“without seeing fit to notify the police so as not to”not lose“a day at the police station.
Thinking it was a “sex game”, Florian R., a 32-year-old delivery driver, told him he had “fear” by Pelicot. Quentin H., 34 years old, ex-police officer turned prison guard, admitted the facts.
For his part, Grégory S., 31, already convicted of possession of drugs, receiving stolen goods and violence in meetings, “carries around a lot of fragilities, educational deficiencies (…)”according to Mr. Amic. At the beginning of October, he had already given grist to the defense mill by describing Dominique Pelicot as “manipulator“.
Finally Jean-Luc L., a 46-year-old worker, the only one of these accused to appear detained, came twice in 2018 then 2019. He admitted the facts and said he “sincerely sorry for madam” at the opening of the trial.
After his first visit, he had doubts that she was addicted to anxiolytics: “Was he too under such a strong influence that he couldn’t free himself, or was he also under a libidinal interest to go all the way?” asked the psychiatrist.
These accused should speak on the facts later in the week, by being confronted with Dominique Pelicot who until now has never changed his line by affirming that “everyone knew”.
