Wife Allegedly Drugged by Husband So Dozens of Men Could Rape Her Calls Case a 'Trial of Cowardice'

• Dominique Pelicot has been accused of drugging his wife Gisèle and inviting dozens of men to rape her over the course of nearly a decade
• On Tuesday, Nov. 19, Gisèle appeared in court in Avignon, France and made her final statements in the trial of the 51 men, including her husband
• “For me this is the trial of cowardice, there is no other way to describe it,” she told the court, per multiple outlets

The French woman whose husband is accused of drugging her and inviting dozens of men to rape her over nearly 10 years has made her final statements in court. 

On Tuesday, Nov. 19, Gisèle Pelicot, 71, appeared in court in Avignon, France, where her husband of 50 years, Dominique Pélicot, also 71, is on trial along with 50 other men. 

According to NBC News, The Guardian and Reuters, Gisèle told the court, “For me this is the trial of cowardice, there is no other way to describe it.”

“It’s time that the macho, patriarchal society that trivializes rape changes … It’s time we changed the way we look at rape,” she added, per the outlets. 

Of the 51 men on trial — whose ages range between 26 and 74 — she said, per The Guardian, “For me they are all guilty. It’s not for me to judge, the court will do its work.”

“I’ve lost 10 years of my life that I’ll never make up for … This scar will never heal,” Gisèle continued, adding that she would never “find peace” over the ordeal and that the 51 men had “sullied” her. 

“I’ve seen people take the stand who deny rape, and some who admit it. I want to say to these men: when you entered that bedroom, at what point did Madame Pelicot give you her consent?” she said, speaking about herself in the third person, according to the outlet.

“At what point did you become aware of this inert body? At what point did you realize there was something happening that was not normal? Did you leave straight away? At what point did you not report it to the police?” She continued.

Dominique appeared in court in September where he confessed to his crimes and admitted, “I am a rapist.”

He also told the court he regularly crushed drugs in his wife’s food, including her favorite dessert — raspberry ice cream, per The Telegraph

“I used to say to him, ‘How lucky am I, you’re a darling, you really look after me,’ ” Gisèle told the trial last month, per the BBC.

On Tuesday, Nov. 19, the court heard a 2020 police statement from Dominque where he said that he “facilitated the rapes” and admitted that “between 30 and 50 people” have come to their house “to have sex with my wife,” per the BBC.

The previous day, the couple’s three children appeared in court and described their “devastation” at learning about what their father did, according to The Guardian.

Per the outlet, Dominique asked the couple’s eldest son David Pelicot, 50, for forgiveness, but he replied, “Never.” 

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According to the outlet and NBC News, the couple’s daughter Caroline Darian, 45, also said she believed her father had drugged and abused her. 

In response, Dominique said that he had never abused his daughter or any of his grandchildren, per The Guardian.

Gisèle didn’t find out about the assaults against her until 2020 when police told her that they’d found pictures and videos on Dominique’s computer, The Times previously reported. The findings came amid accusations that Dominique  — whom Gisèle filed for divorce from in 2021 — had filmed up three women’s skirts in a supermarket.

Last month, she told the court she had chosen to have an open trial so that “all women who [are] victims of rape can say to themselves ‘Madame Pelicot did it, we can do it.’ I don’t want them to feel ashamed anymore,” per French outlet Le Monde.

According to NBC News, the trial will deliver its verdicts and sentences around Dec. 20.

If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to rainn.org.