Who is Dominique Pelicot? ‘Beast of Avignon’ who got 72 men to rape ex-wife Gisele

DOMINIQUE Pélicot, 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, Gisèle Pélicot.

Dominique Pélicot and 51 other male defendants are charged with ‘aggravated rape’Police handout

Who is Dominique Pélicot?

Dominique Pélicot, 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.

Pélicot 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 [Gisèle Pélicot] 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, Pélicot’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.

Co-defendants attend a session of the trial of Pelicot accused of drugging his wifeAFP / Getty

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 [Pélicot] 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.

Gisele Pelicot waived her right to anonymity during the trialAFP / Getty

Since the beginning of the trial, Ms Pélicot 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 Pélicot as a complex “Jekyll and Hyde” figure. 

He reportedly administered drugs to his wife, allowing strangers to exploit her while she was incapacitated. 

Pélicot’s statements to law enforcement revealed a disconcerting duality in his self-perception. 

By day, he claimed to be a “good husband” to Ms Pélicot, 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. 

Gisele and her daughter Caroline Darian have both attended the trialEPA

The couple’s divorce was finalised last month, and Ms Pélicot has sat in court throughout the trial so far, along with her adult children. 

Pélicot’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.

Pélicot 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 Pélicot reported a hard drive, hidden under a printer containing a file called “Abuses”.

The pensioner kept a folder of nude photos of the couple’s only daughter on his laptop, a court heard

It classified the nickname and telephone numbers of attackers, together with some 3,800 photos and videos of Gisèle Pélicot being raped for almost a decade.

Pélicot 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, Pélicot 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.

Pélicot faces up to 20 years in prison if found guilty.