2024-09-04 10:20:16
A trial against a French pensioner, accused of drugging his ex-wife for nearly 10 years and allowing strangers to rape her in their home, began today in Avignon, France Press reported.
Both the victim’s ex-husband and 50 accomplices will be held responsible for the rare affair. Some of them could receive sentences of up to 20 years.
Giselle P., 72, arrived in court surrounded by her lawyers and three children. She intends to face her abusers, aged between 26 and 74.
Her husband, 71-year-old Dominic P., did not want the perpetrators to pay him for the opportunity to rape his wife. His lawyer, Beatrice Savaro, said he was ashamed of his actions and described them as “unforgivable”.
Before the start of the trial, fifteen feminists protested in front of the courthouse.
The perpetrators come from a variety of backgrounds, including a firefighter, a craftsman, a paramedic, a prison guard and a journalist. Some are single, others are married or divorced – their profiles differ, notes AFP. Most of them visited the couple’s home once, some more than once. According to experts, they do not suffer from mental disorders.
Many of them claim they thought they were just participating in the fantasies of a debauched couple. But according to Dominic P, the prime suspect, “everyone knew” his wife was drugged. According to the prosecution, they all had the opportunity to make a free choice, including “leaving the place”.
A total of 92 cases of rape have been reported since 2011, when the couple was still living in the Paris area. However, most date from 2013-2020, when they moved to Mazan, a town of 6,000 in southern France. In each case, the former employee of the French electricity company gave his wife a powerful anti-anxiety drug. The men followed strict rules so as not to wake the sleeping woman – no perfume, no cigarette breath and to warm their hands by soaking them in warm water.
The ex-wife knew nothing and learned everything at the age of 68, after nearly 50 years of living together with Dominic P., in an investigation that began in the fall of 2020. This happened after her husband was unexpectedly caught in a mall taking pictures up women’s skirts.
When searching his computer, investigators found numerous photos and videos of his visibly drugged wife being raped by strangers. She herself has no memories of what happened, writes BTA.
Her ex-husband is also charged in two other cases – a murder and rape in Paris in 1991, which he denies, and an attempted rape in Saint-Es-Marne, east of Paris, in 1999. He pleaded guilty to this case after being confronted with presented DNA evidence.