It was a trial that was highly publicized. Over several weeks, 51 men, aged 26 to 74, were heard and tried in Avignon. Among them, there was Dominique Pélicot, the husband of the victim, Dominique Pélicot, who is accused of having handed his wife over to men recruited on a dating site.
Facts which took place while she was unconscious. This Tuesday, November 19, during the last day of the trial, he spoke and made some very chilling remarks. He first mentioned the rape of which he said he was a victim at the age of nine, specifying: “It created a crack.”
Dominique Pélicot affirms it: this sexual assault would be at the origin of this whole affair. “I think that this crack that I kept is close to that, to what I experienced at 14. The fantasy that I indelicately brought back to life is close to that,” he declared. Still according to his words, his ultimate goal was very precise. “If I came to do what I did through people who voluntarily accepted what I proposed, it is to subdue a rebellious woman”says the main accused. Very shocking comments.
Dominique Pélicot: a speech that chills the court
Dominique Pélicot is aware that his explanations are eagerly awaited. “It was my fantasy, selfish, without making her suffer”, he continued before adding:
“Take my mobile however you want, but that’s how it is.” In recent weeks, many defendants have claimed to have been manipulated by Dominique Pélicot. For his part, the main person concerned always indicated that the men were fully aware of what they were doing. This is also one of the reasons why he wanted to keep videos.
For her part, Gisèle Pélicot had to listen daily to the words of men who made her experience the worst. This trial was very important to her and she did not miss a day, despite the difficulties she had to face. Speaking for many minutes, she first stated:
“From everything I have heard on this stand, it is the trial of cowardice.” After several weeks, Gisèle Pélicot says she is tired but also aware that she was not considered a victim at the beginning.
Gisèle Pélicot: a very important trial for her
Gisèle Pélicot did not want her story to go unnoticed. With the media coverage of this trial, she highlighted the strength and courage she shows. “I want them to no longer be ashamed of having this name, and to be proud of their grandmother.” she explained. Regarding the worldwide media coverage of this affair, Gisèle Pellicot admits that she did not anticipate it but she is delighted about it in a certain way. “Today, we will remember Gisèle Pelicot, there will no longer be shame in bearing this name”she said.
The most important thing for Gisèle Pélicot now is to rebuild herself. But how to get there after all the horrors heard in recent weeks? “All the accused are guilty”, she said before deploring the fact that none of them came to her aid. “There was not a moment when they stopped their actions. Not a moment did they denounce. If they had continued, they could have had my death on their conscience,” she continued. A story from which Gisèle Pélicot will have a lot of difficulty recovering. “All my life I will have to live with it. There are 50 people who have defiled me,” she concludes.
