A first series of 27 intimate photos was shown at the hearing on Wednesday, at the request of two defense lawyers. The debates surrounding these photos sparked indignation from the victim. “They are trying to set me up, it’s obvious,” she denounced.
In an icy silence, the photos appear, and scroll by, one by one. In total, 27 intimate photos of Gisèle Pelicot were broadcast on Wednesday, September 18, before the criminal court of Avignon, where Dominique Pelicot is being tried for having raped and had his wife raped by fifty other men, tried alongside him. The public had to leave the broadcast room, at the request of the septuagenarian, who appears naked in a large part of the images, in her underwear in others.
In some, her private parts are photographed in close-up. There are several sex scenes, with her ex-husband, sometimes with other men. She is also shown in extremely suggestive poses, with sex toys. We do not always see her face. “How do you interpret the distribution of these photos?” asks his lawyer, Stéphane Babonneau. “They are trying to trap me, it’s a “Obviously,” replies the 71-year-old victim. They want to show that I lured these individuals to come to my house and that I consented.”
Two defense lawyers – Isabelle Crépin-Dehaene and Philippe Kabore – requested viewing of these photos, “useful for the manifestation of the truth”, according to them. The lawyer believes that these photos “have three interests”. First, they contradict, she said, “Mrs. Pelicot’s statements saying that these photos were taken without her knowledge”because we see it “perfectly awake”.
Afterwards, “They have the character of being very explicit”which means “that there is a demand and a tendency of the husband, perfectly known on the part of the wife”. And, adds Isabelle Crépin-Dehaene, “There was, within the Pelicot couple, a sexual game, even if it is not a question of discussing any morality”. Finally, concludes the lawyer in the preamble,some of these photos may have been shared by Mr. Pelicot”, and may have led some to believe that “Madame was willing and playful to go and share a moment as a threesome.”
After viewing it, Gisèle Pelicot said she did not remember any of the scenes shown, including the one where her eyes were open, because she thought she was under the effects of chemical submission, inflicted by her husband at the time. The Temesta pills hidden in her food caused her to have blackouts, as she has often recounted. “Do I need to repeat it in Chinese?” says the septuagenarian, more excited than ever. “If necessary, bring in neurologists!”she gets carried away at the bar. “What are we looking for in this room? That I am guilty? We wonder who is the guilty person in this courtroom!” she continues, quite annoyed.
When questioned, Dominique Pelicot offers another explanation for the fact that his ex-wife has no memory of these photos: it is because they were taken without her noticing, claims the main accused, from his box. Gisèle Pelicot was wide awake, but he was taking pictures of her discreetly, with his mobile phone. He also specifies that in one of the photos, showing a sex scene, it is not her, but a woman who looks like her.
The explanations of both parties do not convince the defense lawyers, who question Gisèle Pelicot in turn, with great insistence. Sometimes even raising their voices, visibly irritated by her answers.“You’re in a position where you say, ‘My husband did everything without my knowledge.’ But if you said, ‘I did what I wanted, I took pictures, that’s my problem. I take a dildo, and it makes me happy,’ that would be your right.”a lawyer told her, prompting her to acknowledge that she was a stakeholder in her photos.
Gisèle Pelicot denies this and maintains that she never saw her husband take a photo of her. “I don’t know how he did it! The dildo, whatever… I never saw Mr. Pelicot take pictures of it.”she assures.
“I understand that rape victims don’t file complaints: we go through a big revelation where we are humiliated!”
Gisele Pelicotanswering questions from the defense
“You wouldn’t have exhibitionist tendencies that you wouldn’t assume?” asks another lawyer. “I’m not even going to answer that question, because I find it very insulting! I find it degrading and humiliating,” she retorts, justifying all the same, in passing, that it happened to her to be naked at home or in her swimming pool. The lawyer insists, emphasizing that “35 people contest the facts alleged”. “It’s their problem, not mine!”she emphasizes. “I will stop this sterile debate,” she breathes.
But the questions continue. The reproaches too. “There was a debate about the public presentation of these photos. I am a woman, I am embarrassed! We did not want it to be broadcast in front of everyone. You are angry, but you are also responsible for this broadcast!”the invective Nadia El Bouroumi, who represents two accused. Gisèle Pelicot agreed to let journalists see the photos, asking that the debates remain “publics”. Stéphane Babonneau, her counsel, tries to intervene several times. His colleague raises her voice. “I wish my colleague would not intervene! It’s unbearable!” she shouts. The climate is becoming very tense.
But the lawyer does not give up: “Can we say, from these photos, that this is a woman who might want to play on a sexual level?” Gisèle Pelicot tries to answer: “I have a problem with that because I’m not the kind of woman…” Nadia El Bouroumi cuts it. “Okay, but could the men who are in the process and who receive these photos have imagined that you were someone who would agree to play a sex game?”the lawyer asks again. “When they came into the room, they saw that I was not the same woman.”replies the septuagenarian.
Dominique Pelicot assures that these photos were never sent to third parties anyway. “In no case”he insists, which the defense seems not to believe. Just as it does not believe that Gisèle Pelicot could have been photographed without her consent. “You can clearly see that she is posing,” estimates a defense lawyer. “You’re the one who thinks she’s posing.”he replies. “We all saw that she posed.”insists the lawyer. “As you say your customers were not aware, while I say the opposite”Dominique Pelicot says ironically.