Gisele Pelicot met with thunderous applause as she walked out of a French court after a trial against her husband and 50 other accused. The 72-year-old has been a victim of a heinous crime where her husband drugged her with sleeping pills and anti-anxiety medication to recruit strangers through an online platform so that they could allegedly rape her.
What does the video show?
“Dozens of supporters of Frenchwoman Gisele Pelicot, whose ex-husband allegedly abused her by recruiting strangers to sexually assault her while she was drugged, gave her a round of applause as she left court in Avignon,” Reuters wrote while posting the video.
Also Read: Dominique Pelicot accused of inviting strangers to rape drugged wife Gisele Pelicot gave them ‘sick list of rules’
“Pelicot’s hearing, the centerpiece of one of France’s most spectacular criminal trials in recent history, had to be pushed back last week due to his bad health,” the outlet added.
Take a look at the video here:
Social media reacts:
“Her courage shows how strong women are and how we can hold men accountable for their actions against our bodies,” commented an Instagram user.
{{/usCountry}}“Her courage shows how strong women are and how we can hold men accountable for their actions against our bodies,” commented an Instagram user.
{{/usCountry}}Another person, while reacting to the video, posted, “Bravest woman. I wish we could collectively do more to help her go through this nightmare of a case. Justice better be served against her monstrous aggressors.”
A third shared, “She is such an absolute warrior and will save so many with her courage. I hope that she knows women all over the world are standing with her.”
“What an incredible woman - I hope she is able to rebuild her life and recover from this awful trauma,” wrote a fourth.
Also Read: Man who ‘drugged wife, filmed her being raped’ accused her of cheating to cover his vile crimes
“I am a rapist”: Dominique Pelicot
The 71-year-old French man is on trial after being accused of drugging his wife and inviting strangers to his house to rape his unconscious wife. He has admitted to the charges and told the court that he is a rapist.
“I am a rapist, like the others in this room,” Dominique said in the court while looking at the other 50 accused, reported the Guardian. He added, “They all knew,” while talking about the other men.
“I am guilty of what I did,” he told the court. “I say to my wife, my children, my grandchildren… I regret what I’ve done, and I ask for forgiveness, even if it’s unforgivable.”
A decade of horror
Allegedly, Dominique continued committing this atrocious crime against his now-estranged wife for almost ten years. Gisele, who was completely unaware of the assault at that point, reportedly also suffered severe health issues, including sexually transmitted diseases.
The Frenchman’s crime came to light when he was arrested in 2020 for filming under women's skirts. During their investigation, police found evidence of rape on his laptop and eventually informed his wife. As per reports, nude pictures of his daughter were also found on his device.