A pensioner accused of drugging his wife dozens of times so strangers could rape her led twin lives as a ‘caring’ family man and ‘highly dangerous’ sexual deviant, a court has heard.
Dominique Pélicot, 71, allegedly invited 72 men he met online to rape his wife Gisèle in their home in the village of Mazan, southern France, over a nine-year period.
Prosecutors say he would secretly lace her dinner with a high dose of anxiety-reducing drugs so she would stay unconscious after going to sleep.
He is on trial with 51 of the alleged rapists, who are aged between 26 and 73 and include civil servants, paramedics, truck drivers and prison guards.
On Monday a court in the nearby city of Avignon heard from psychiatrists who had carried out evaluations of Pélicot, a retired electrician.
Among various testimonies reported in local media, one said he showed signs of ‘paraphilic deviance’ in which he had a strong appetite for sexual acts on non-consenting victims.
This included a mix of voyeurism and somnophilia, or sexual arousal towards sleeping people.
His wife’s unconsciousness ‘[allowed] him to increase his feeling of control’, a psychiatrist said.
Another described Pélicot as a ‘highly’ dangerous criminal who used his wife as ‘bait’ to satisfy twisted sexual fantasies.
The 71-year-old reportedly said during questioning that he took ‘pleasure in seeing his wife touched by someone else’ and had ‘an addiction stopping him from stopping’.
The experts compared Pélicot to Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, arguing he had a ‘two-sided personality’ allowing him to act like a normal husband during the day.
His own wife said she saw him as a ‘great guy’ before learning of the horrors she’d been subjected to.
The alleged abuse was only uncovered when Pélicot was caught filming up the skirts of three women at a shopping centre in 2020, according to France Info.
This led detectives to a laptop in the family home said to contain a hundred videos and 300 photos of the alleged rapes.
It’s understood Gisele was shown photos of what happened to her. After the discovery she was diagnosed with four sexually transmitted diseases.
Relatives described the defendant as a ‘very caring’ and ‘much loved’ grandfather.
His daughter, Caroline Darian, previously said: ‘I loved my father. I loved the image of the man I thought I knew. The image of this sane, caring, considerate man.
‘I knew him as a caring, considerate man who was affectionate father without any hint of an inappropriate look or unwelcomed touch. What hit was like a cataclysm.’
Pélicot is also accused of voyeurism offences committed against Caroline and his two stepdaughters.
Prosecutors say two photos of Caroline, unconscious and in her underwear, were found on his computer along with photos from a hidden camera showing his stepdaughers naked in their bathroom.
The family could only recall one or two incidents hinting at ‘disturbing’ behaviour, such as when one of his granddaughters saw him taking photos of her and her sister during a midnight swim in their pool.
One of the psychologists who interviewed the alleged rapist claimed he admitted to the horrific abuse in a session with her a few weeks after he was arrested.
Annabelle Montagne told the court that Pélicot said to her: ‘My wife and I had a discussion about swinging but she didn’t agree so I drugged her.’
While speaking to detectives, Gisèle recalled being woken up by her husband having sex with her, according to French media reports.
Over the years she suffered from episodes of forgetfulness and gynecological health but remained unaware of their cause.
The trial continues.
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