Main suspect in French serial rape case Dominique Pélicot admits abuse

avigno - The main suspect in a high-profile French rape case has admitted to abusing his former wife.

The 71-year-old Pélicot is suspected of drugging his wife and letting her be raped by dozens of men over the years. Fifty men aged 26 to 74 are accomplices in the crime. His ex-wife, Gisèle Pélicot, suffered from memory loss for a long time and only found out about the abuse in 2020. Pélicot stated in court that his ex-wife "did not deserve this."

The woman has requested for the case to be treated publicly to raise awareness about drug-facilitated sexual abuse. Thousands of people took to the streets over the weekend to show their support. Gisèle Pélicot expressed her gratitude for the support, giving her strength to fight for all individuals globally who fall victim to sexual violence.

Dominique Pelicot admitted to systematically letting men rape his wife since 2013. The case came to light by chance in 2021 when three young women at an E. Leclerc supermarket near Mazan caught a man trying to film under their skirts. Security intervened, alerted the police, and a search was conducted at the retired electrician's home.

They discovered hundreds of videos on his computer showing his drugged wife, Gisèle - completely unconscious - being raped by over 70 men. Her husband filmed, took photos, or participated in the abuse. Fifty men were identified, all from Provence, aged between 26 and 73, including a firefighter, a nurse, a civil servant, a plumber, a soldier, and a journalist.