Ex-husband in French rape trial asks 'forgiveness' from family

Avignon, France - The French man who has admitted to enlisting dozens of strangers to rape his heavily-sedated wife asked forgiveness from his family on Dec 16 and hailed the courage of his now former spouse during his trial.

“I would like to start by hailing the courage of my ex-wife”, her former husband Dominique Pelicot said in his final statement to the court ahead of the verdict later in the week.

“I regret what I did, making (my family) suffer... I ask them for forgiveness,” he said, asking the family to “accept my apologies”.

In a trial that shocked the country, Pelicot, 72, has admitted to drugging Gisele, his then wife for almost a decade, so he and strangers he recruited online could rape her.

Ms Gisele Pelicot, 72, has become a feminist hero at home and abroad for refusing to be ashamed, waiving her right to a closed trial and standing up to her aggressors in court.

Alongside her former husband, 50 other men aged 27 to 74 are on trial, including one who did not abuse her but raped his own wife with Pelicot’s help.

Sitting in the glass defendants’ box, Pelicot reaffirmed that he had told “the whole truth” since the beginning of the trial on Sept 2 in the southern French city of Avignon.

He also thanked the court for allowing him to remain seated on a special chair because of his fragile state of health, which “could have been interpreted as nonchalance” but which was not, he added.

‘Rest of my life in your hands’

He added that “I have been called many things” but “I rather intend to be forgotten”, saying he felt an “inner shame”.

“I can tell my whole family that I love them,” he said.

Turning to the five judges who will issue the verdict, he said: “There you go, you have the rest of my life in your hands.”

The verdict for him and the other defendants is expected on Dec 19 morning, but the timing could slip, Presiding Judge Roger Arata said as he adjourned the trial.

“We will head to the deliberation chamber and will not leave until we have made our decision,” he told the court, saying the delivery of the verdict had been scheduled for Dec 19, but cautioning the timing was “theoretical” and it could be postponed to the afternoon of Dec 19 or the morning of Dec 20.

As she left the court, Ms Gisele Pelicot was greeted with applause and shouts of “bravo Gisele!” by supporters.

On Nov 25, prosecutors requested the maximum possible sentence – 20 years behind bars – against Pelicot for aggravated rape.

The prosecution has requested 10 to 18 years in prison against the 49 defendants also charged with aggravated rape.

One more accused – facing the lesser charge of groping – risks up to four years in prison.

Several defence lawyers have attempted to shift the totality of the responsibility to Pelicot, arguing their clients were victims of a “monster” who had manipulated them into assaulting Ms Gisele Pelicot. AFP