He was one of the accused to appear before the Vaucluse criminal court this Wednesday, November 6. In a confused and contradictory account to try to explain why he went six times to Mazan (Vaucluse) to sexually assault Gisèle Pelicot, Romain V claimed “looking for social connections” et “acted like a self-guided zombie”.
Romain V, a 63-year-old man currently detained and accused of having raped Gisèle Pelicot on several occasions, went to the home in Mazan numerous times between December 2019 and 2020 out of “fear” of Dominique Pelicot, a t -he justified. But also by desire to “looking for social connections”claiming to have acted as “a self-guided zombie”.
“I don’t know how he could have made me come six times.”
“I don't ask myself any questions, like a self-guided zombie. I don't even understand how he (Dominique Pelicot, NLDR) could make me come six times“, he defended himself, provoking the astonishment of the court, and in particular of its president Roger Arata, who asked him if, at any time, he had taken care to require the consent of the victim. “I had the husband’s permission”underlined the accused, like several of these fifty men tried in Avignon for having raped Gisèle Pelicot, at the invitation of her husband, who bombarded her with anxiolytics.
“I thought she was semi-awake, tired”
The civil party requested the broadcast before the court of four videos among the dozens found on Dominique Pelicot's hard drive, where the acts committed were meticulously referenced. In it, the accused is seen performing several sexual acts on the victim, who did not react at any time.
“I thought she was semi-awake, tired. We get drowsy. Me, with my treatment, I get drowsy”said the accused, referring to his HIV status diagnosed in 2004, assuring that he “is not contagious”which the WHO confirmed on this subject. On no occasion, however, did he wear a condom.
“I apologize for the acts alleged against me. I regret everything that happened. I had no intention of raping madam. I have regrets, a lot”, replied Romain V, who, like most of the 51 accused in this trial, risks 20 years of criminal imprisonment.
