DOMINIQUE Pelicot, dubbed one of the worst sexual predators in French history, told a court he was a rapist.
The husband is accused of allegedly recruiting dozens of men online to rape his then-wife, Gisele Pelicot.
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Who is Dominique Pelicot?
Dominique Pelicot, 71, is accused of drugging his wife so he and scores of strangers could assault her.
The 71-year-old man said: “I am a rapist, like the others in this room.”
Detectives have listed a total of 92 rapes committed by 72 men, 51 have been identified.
Pelicot is accused of administering anti-anxiety drugs to his 72-year-old wife for almost a decade, from 2011 to 2020.
While she was unconscious, it is alleged he would rape her and recruit dozens of other men he met online to do the same.
Speaking for the first time in court in the regional capital of Avignon, he said: “I am guilty of what I did – I say to my wife, my children, my grandchildren.
“I regret what I’ve done and I ask for forgiveness, even if it’s unforgivable.”
He added: “She (Gisele Pelicot) did not deserve this.”
The defendant claimed to have suffered abuse and trauma throughout his childhood and says he was forced to witness the gang rape of a woman aged 14 while working as a building site apprentice.
The pensioner added: “You are not born a pervert, you become one.”
Beatrice Zavarro, Pelicot’s lawyer, told AFP that he had “a clot in the bladder” and a kidney infection.
But a medical exam ordered by the presiding judge found he was fit to appear in court, avoiding a potentially lengthy delay to proceedings.
And as the shocking trial continues, the court heard how another man, named as Jean-Pierre, 63, was allegedly taught by Pelicot how to drug and rape his wife.
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He is not among the 51 men on trial.
The former lorry driver claimed he spoke to Pelicot in an online chatroom.
The pensioner then provided sedatives for Jean Pierre’s wife- before travelling to rape her himself.
It was alleged that Jean-Pierre’s wife was raped 12 times between 2015 and 2020.
Investigator Stéphan Gal told the court: “Each time that (Pelicot) travelled (there), he provided him with the medication for the next time.”
Jean-Pierre’s 32-year-old son from a previous marriage said: “I have the firm conviction that had he not met this person, there would never have been any of this.”
The unsettling case presented at Vaucluse Criminal Court has deeply affected France.
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Since the beginning of the trial, Ms Pelicot had chosen to waive her right to anonymity.
This decision opened up the details of her harrowing experiences to public scrutiny.
Psychologists who testified on Monday portrayed Pelicot as a complex “Jekyll and Hyde” figure.
He reportedly administered drugs to his wife, allowing strangers to exploit her while she was incapacitated.
Pelicot’s statements to law enforcement revealed a disconcerting duality in his self-perception.
By day, he claimed to be a “good husband” to Ms Pelicot, whom he wed in 1971.
He managed to maintain the marital facade of being a loving husband and father-of-three for decades.
However, the reality of their relationship was far darker.
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The couple’s divorce was finalised last month, and Ms Pelicot has sat in court throughout the trial so far, along with her adult children.
Pelicot’s daughter, Caroline Darian, 46, took to the stand and described her father as “one of the greatest sexual predators” in recent years.
Caroline was herself secretly photographed in the nude by her father, as were her two sisters-in-law while taking a bath, it emerged in court.
She also revealed the shocking moment her mum first told her of the harrowing ordeal.
Pelicot was first arrested in September 2020 for secretly filming up women’s skirts at a supermarket in Carpentras.
His devices were searched, and there were hundreds of photos, as well as pornographic videos of women.
While in custody, Mr Pelicot reported a hard drive, hidden under a printer containing a file called “Abuses”.
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It classified the nickname and telephone numbers of attackers, together with some 3,800 photos and videos of Gisele Pelicot being raped for almost a decade.
Pelicot moved his family from greater Paris in 1991, and later allegedly set up the sex ring.
Alleged rapists involved in the case include civil servants, ambulance workers, soldiers, prison guards, nurses, a journalist, a municipal councillor, and truck drivers.
In a separate case, Pelicot has been charged with raping and murdering a 23-year-old estate agent in Paris in 1991.
He has admitted one attempted rape in 1999 after DNA testing proved a case against him.
The Avignon aggravated rape case is due to last until December 21.
Fourteen of the other defendants have admitted rape, while the rest deny any wrongdoing.
Pelicot faces up to 20 years in prison if found guilty.