You left me a heap of ruins, gang-raped wife tells alleged abusers

Chosen by us to get you up to speed at a glance
A woman whose husband is accused of inviting dozens of men to rape her after he drugged her unconscious has told her alleged abusers that she’s in a “heap of ruins” because of the ordeal.
Testifying for the first time, Gisèle Pélicot, 72, said she initially wanted to be referred to by her maiden name, but changed her mind because she wanted to “remain standing” for her grandchildren. 
She said: “When you look at me you think she’s strong, this woman, but inside it’s a heap of ruins. The façade is strong, inside it’s not the same.” 
Mrs Pélicot, who is divorcing her husband, said she will keep her married name for the duration of the trial but will revert back to her maiden name when it concludes. 
She waived her right to anonymity to keep the trial open to the public so that “shame changes sides” over the alleged serial abuse by her husband of 50 years.
At least 35 defendants have pleaded not guilty and 14 guilty, including Mr Pélicot.
Thank you for following today’s live coverage of the trial of a French pensioner, Dominique Pélicot, who is accused of recruiting more than 50 strangers online to rape his wife Gisèle in their Provence home.
We’ll be back soon with more updates from the trial.
One of Mrs Pélicot’s lawyers asked a medical expert: “Is it possible that Mrs Pélicot’s body could have felt pain while drugged but not notice anything untoward afterwards?”
The expert replied: “Yes”
They added that Mrs Pélicot could have drowned after being drugged.
“I have never before been so shocked by such images as an expert,” said the medical analyst who mentioned his shock in his report.
The trial has resumed after a lunch break with medical experts, the first of whom has been explained how they analyse head hair to determine the presence of drugs.
Speaking outside court during the recess, Mrs Pélicot said: “The defence lawyers are trying to trap me but I will do my best.”
After an hour-long lunch break, the trial is about to resume. 
We have been told that after Mrs Pélicot has finished, Mr Pélicot has requested to address the court, which was not scheduled.
Gisèle Pélicot said she became “convinced” she had developed Alzheimer’s during the ordeal.
“I didn’t understand why I had moments like this,” Mrs Pélicot, 72, told the court after taking the stand for the first time.
Mrs Pélicot then said she jokingly asked Dominique, her husband, if he was drugging her, to which he apparently “broke down in tears” and said: “You actually think I could do that?”
She then explained how her husband accompanied her to see a doctor about concerns that she had Alzheimer’s. She was told she may have had a “brain seizure”.
Mrs Pélicot told the court: “When Caroline (Mrs Pélicot’s daughter) wrote her book (And I Stopped Calling him Daddy) in 2022 I felt it was published too early.
“I wanted her to publish it at the end of the trial. I didn’t want to expose herself too much. I wanted to make this trial public to take back control, that’s all.”
Mrs Pélicot has just told the court that she once woke up in 2010 to find her husband having sex with her.
“In 2010, I remember going to bed, I woke up with a start to find Mr Pélicot raping me as I hadn’t consented. I said what are you doing? I then went back to sleep,” she said. 
“I thought he had an urge to do it and we were married so didn’t take it any further.”
Earlier we reported that Mrs Pélicot admitted to having an affair with one of her friends, which she said tested her marriage (see 10.09am post).
Mr Pélicot allegedly grabbed his wife by her neck after learning about the affair, Mrs Pélicot told the court.
Mrs Pélicot told the court she never woke up in a different outfit to the one she went to sleep in.
 “During all of these events, you went to sleep with your pyjamas on and woke up with them on?” the prosecutor asked.
“Yes. I never woke up in a different outfit,” Mrs Pélicot replied.
The lawyer just asked Mrs Pélicot: “Some defendants admit the facts, others contest all the facts, and others confirm they were present but deny it was rape. You caught four STDs and were exposed to HIV six times. What have you got to say to people who claim you consented to all this?”
Mrs Pélicot replied: “All I have to say is, it’s an insult to my intelligence. These individuals were totally aware of what state I was in. I never knowingly took part in any of these things. How can you even try and make people think that a woman would knowingly take part in all this?”
In Mrs Pélicot’s testimony, she revealed how her husband would periodically take photos of her, including when she was leaving the bathroom. 
After a while, Mrs Pélicot said she became annoyed by the constant pictures and said she asked her husband to stop, to which he said: “You should be pleased that after 50 years your husband still wants to take photos of you.”
She told the court: “It was flattering perhaps but it annoyed me and I told him to stop.”
After a 15-minute break, Stéphane Babonneau, one of Mrs Pélicot’s lawyers, has begun asking her questions.
Dominique Pélicot, 71, a retired electricity worker and father of three, was charged with inviting men to have intercourse with Gisèle, his wife of almost 50 years, via a now-banned website in a section called “a son insu” (without her knowledge).
Police counted 92 rapes committed by 72 men, of whom 51 were formally identified, over 10 years.
Officers began to investigate Mr Pélicot in September 2020 when he was caught by a security guard secretly filming under the skirts of three women in a shopping centre.
Examining his computer, they found thousands of pictures and videos of his wife, visibly unconscious. He would then meticulously film and archive their sexual acts, keeping the footage in a file called “ABUSES” on a USB.
According to the 400-page indictment, the abuse started in 2011 when the couple were living near Paris and continued after they moved to Mazan two years later until 2020.
The suspect is said to have given the men strict instructions when they abused his wife during the night. Tobacco and perfume were banned to avoid strong smells that could awaken her.
Mrs Pélicot has said she will keep her marriage name for the remainder of the trial, before reverting back to her maiden name.
She initially told the magistrate that she wanted to be referred to by her maiden name but later changed her mind.
“I am trying to remain standing for my grandchildren,” she explained after being asked why she changed her mind. 
“When you look at me you think she’s strong this woman, but inside it’s a heap of ruins. The facade is strong, inside it’s not the same.”
Mrs Pélicot has reiterated that she never authorised her husband to film her during sex.
“I don’t recall ever having a conversation about it. The only conversation we had was about going swinging and I said categorically no, I will never do that,” she told the court.
“I was tested for HIV as one man who came (to rape me) six times was seropositive. My life was in danger but not one second did anyone stop,” Mrs Pélicot told the court.
“Luckily I didn’t catch it. But not once did Mr Pélicot say to himself, ‘I’ve gone too far’. He showed no pity, no pity at all.”
Mrs Pélicot has admitted to having an affair after 14 years of marriage, which she was asked to explain by the judge.
She explained how she was friends with her lover and that he visited her “periodically” over a two-year period, to which her husband “reacted very badly”. 
Mrs Pélicot explained: “He could see there was a problem as I found it hard to love two people at once. As I said, our couple was based on trust so it was hard. But as I said he was the only man I had known.
“I only ever had two men in my bed. It may sound ridiculous today.”
The judge asked Mrs Pélicot if she developed any physical issues after suffering memory loss. 
“I had gynecological problems…and a major infection in the uterus,” she explained, before adding that she was always accompanied by her husband to appointments. 
The judge then said he did not want to disturb Mrs Pélicot with certain questions, to which she replied: “Given what I have been through, nothing disturbs me.”
Mrs Pélicot has described the moment her daughter found out about the allegations that her husband drugged her and invited strangers to rape her.
She told the court: “When I told my daughter, she screamed like a wild beast. I will never forget this. When I told my sons about this, I don’t think they really understood, they were withdrawn and didn’t react much. I think they were in a state of shock. They said don’t say such silly things.”
“The evening, the children rang all the time saying don’t disappear, they were worried I might die.”
Mrs Pélicot has described the moment she first walked into the police station after being summoned by police for what she thought was a “formality”.
She told the judge that the image of walking up the steps of the police station “will remain with me for the rest of my life”. 
“I remained calm but when I got into the office I didn’t see Mr Pélicot. This was during the Covid period, so I was wearing a mask. I was asked for my identity and that of my family,” she said.
“I was astonished by all these questions. One question was then asked how would you describe your husband. I said for the past 50 years he was a ‘well intentioned and a nice guy’,” she continued.
“I’m a woman who only one man can touch, Mr Pélicot, no other can put a hand on me. I was told to remove my mask and the policeman said I’m going to tell you something you won’t like.”
Mrs Pélicot referred to her husband, Dominique, who she is in the process of divorcing, as “Mr Pélicot”, before recounting the moment he allegedly confessed to taking pictures under women’s skirts.
She said: “On December 19, my husband said he had a problem with his phone and his code. I didn’t really understand but remained at my daughter’s house.
“When I returned to Mazan, our village, Mr Pélicot picked me up but had changed, he looked pale and anxious. I was worried about his health. 
“Arriving in Mazan, he prepared my lunch. We are in the kitchen, he sat down and broke down in tears. I didn’t understand. I thought it was a health problem that had come back and I thought that it was about this.
“He said ‘I have done something silly’ I said what? He said I was caught in a supermarket in Carpentras filming under women’s skirts.
“In 50 years, Mr Pelicot had never taken pictures of other women. I said I forgive you, we’ve never had any problems in 50 years. But there won’t be a next time, otherwise I’ll leave.
“He said I’m not going to do it again. I trusted it as our relationship was based on trust for the past 50 years.”
The judge has just asked Mrs Pélicot to take the stand.
In a calm voice, she was asked her name and age. “Gisèle Pélicot, I will be 72 in December,” she said. 
The judge said she will be allowed to testify freely and then be asked a few questions.
Mrs Pélicot began by thanking the police lieutenant of Carperntras who initially arrested her husband for looking up women’s skirts in a supermarket, which led to the investigation.
“He saved my life and I probably wouldn’t be here without him,” she said.
Good morning and welcome to our live coverage
We’re bringing you all the latest updates from the trial of a French pensioner, Dominique Pélicot, who is accused of recruiting more than 50 strangers online to rape his wife Gisèle in their Provence home.