A man is on trial accused of repeatedly drugging and raping his wife, as well as encouraging dozens of other men to rape her in their home while she was unconscious, court documents show.
72-year-old Gisèle appeared in a courtroom in Avignon, France, on Monday for the opening of the trial, sunglasses on, her daughter and two sons by her side.
For the next four months, she will come face to face with her accused abusers, most of whom are complete strangers to her.
Prosecutors say the defendant, 71-year-old Dominique would recruit men online to rape his wife, after drugging her with sleeping pills and anti-anxiety medication.
He faces nine charges including several counts of rape with aggravating circumstances, the drugging of a victim to commit rape, and the sharing of images related to those assaults.
Prosecutors were able to put together a case because Dominique documented a number of the alleged assaults on camera.
Held in pre-trial detention since 2020, courtroom sketches show the defendant entered the courtroom in a black t-shirt and sat facing his wife.
“He recognizes that he’s done what he has done,” his lawyer, Béatrice Zavarro told journalists in court on Monday. “There was not an ounce of contestation during the whole investigation.”
In the dock, the men accused of taking part in these rapes sat with their heads down.
Police have identified at least 92 sexual assaults committed by 72 men, with ages ranging from 26 to 74, court documents show.
Fifty were identified, and most have been charged with either aggravated or attempted rape and are standing trial alongside Gisèle’s husband.
The ordeal lasted almost ten years, the first alleged assaults dating back to 2011.
The crimes came to light in 2020 when Dominique was caught filming under women’s skirts in a shopping center.
After police seized his phone and computer, they say they found evidence of the rapes. An investigation was opened and the wife was made aware of the abuse she had endured for almost ten years.