“Everyone is guilty, like me”

Dominique Pelicot, tried for sexually assaulting his then wife from 2011 to 2020, Gisèle Pelicotand offering it to dozens of men for the same, he blamed this Monday during his last statement on the other 50 defendants in this macro-trial.

“Everyone here, despite the presumption of innocence, is guilty, like me”Dominique Pelicot said this Monday, in statements before the Court collected by Efe. Pelicot repeatedly left his wife unconscious with high doses of anxiolytics to sexually assault her, to the point of putting her at risk of death.

This Monday’s day is dedicated to the latest statements of the 51 accused of sexual assault and aggravated rape against Gisèle Pelicot, before the judges begin their deliberations this Tuesday and announce their verdict, scheduled for Thursday.

Dominique Pelicot has highlighted “the courage” that his ex-wife has shown throughout this trial, while at the same time apologized again to Jean-Pierre Maréchal’s partnerthe only court that did not attack Gisèle Pelicot, but rather his wife, who was also raped several times by Dominique.

Finally, the main defendant, who faces the maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, ended his statement by thanking the work of his lawyer, Béatrice Zavarro, as well as the court, to which he said that “the deprivation of not seeing the theirs is worse than the deprivation of liberty.

Maréchal spoke after Dominique Pelicot, who acknowledged the acts accused of him: “Judge me for what I have done and what I am,” he asked.

Then it was the rest’s turn. The majority did not want to declarealthough others appreciated the development of the trial and the work of their lawyers. Some more wanted to reiterate their excuses to the victim.

There were also those who insisted on denying the factsdespite the thousands of photos and videos that Dominique Pelicot took while the crimes were committed, key evidence in this trial. “I’m not a rapist,” one of them tried to say.

Throughout the entire process, Gisèle Pelicot has become a global feminist icon by deciding to make this trial public and attend the sessions with her face uncovered “so that shame can change sides.”

“I also had an exceptional husband”

Last October, Gisèle Pelicot reminded the women who supported their accused relatives that she also had “an exceptional and perfect man” at home, in reference to her now ex-husband Dominique Pelicot.

“These mothers, sisters, women… have said that their brothers and husbands were exceptional. I also had an exceptional man in my house and in my life, but the profile of the rapist can be in the family and friends,” He stated this Wednesday before the judge when he returned to intervene as a witness at the Avignon Court.

De hecho ha contado que Dominique Pelicot le llevaba su helado preferido a la cama, mezclado con ansiolíticos, y ella pensaba: “Este hombre es un amor. Es perfecto. Qué suerte tengo”. De hecho confiaba en “acabar mis días con él” tras casi 40 años casados.

En el juicio que se celebra en el Tribunal de Aviñón, los jueces deberán determinar la responsabilidad de Dominique Pelicot por estas violaciones y los archivos que guardaba y que le fueron requisados en septiembre de 2020 cuando fue arrestado por haber grabado bajo las faldas de unas mujeres en un supermercado de la ciudad de Carpentras.

En esos archivos había cientos de fotos y vídeos hechos por Pelicot en los que aparecía la que era su mujer -se han divorciado en agosto- drogada y sometida a abusos sexuales por parte de decenas de hombres, entre los que han podido ser identificados los 50 que se sientan en el banquillo.