Gisèle Pelicot arrives to give evidence at French mass rape trial

Gisèle Pelicot takes the stand in the trial in which her ex-husband is accused of drugging her and inviting dozens of men to rape her.

British Broadcasting CorporationWatchHomeNewsUS ElectionSportBusinessInnovationCultureArtsTravelEarthVideoLiveHomeNewsIsrael-Gaza WarWar in UkraineUS & CanadaUKUK PoliticsEnglandN. IrelandN. Ireland PoliticsScotlandScotland PoliticsWalesWales PoliticsAfricaAsiaChinaIndiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastIn PicturesBBC InDepthBBC VerifyUS ElectionElection pollsKamala HarrisDonald TrumpJD VanceTim WalzSportBusinessExecutive LoungeTechnology of BusinessWomen at the HelmFuture of BusinessInnovationTechnologyScience & HealthArtificial IntelligenceAI v the MindCultureFilm & TVMusicArt & DesignStyleBooksEntertainment NewsArtsArts in MotionTravelDestinationsAfricaAntarcticaAsiaAustralia and PacificCaribbean & BermudaCentral AmericaEuropeMiddle EastNorth AmericaSouth AmericaWorld’s TableCulture & ExperiencesAdventuresThe SpeciaListEarthNatural WondersWeather & ScienceClimate SolutionsSustainable BusinessGreen LivingVideoLiveLive NewsLive SportHomeNewsUS ElectionSportBusinessInnovationCultureArtsTravelEarthVideoLiveAudioWeatherNewslettersGisèle Pelicot arrives to give evidence at French mass rape trialGisèle Pelicot, the French woman whose now ex-husband is on trial for drugging and raping her, and inviting dozens of other men to rape her, is taking the stand in court for the first time.

It follows a request from her legal team that the 72-year-old be given the chance to respond to the evidence and testimony that have been shared so far at the trial.

She said that over the last few weeks she had witnessed various wives, mothers and sisters of the defendants take the stand and say that the accused were "exceptional men".

"That's just like who I had back home," she added. "But a rapist is not just someone you meet in a dark car park late at night. He can also be found in the family, among friends."

Dominique Pelicot, her ex-husband, has admitted to recruiting men online to rape his wife while she was under the effect of heavy sedatives and sleeping pills that he administered to her in secret for a decade. Most of the alleged rapes were filmed.

https://www.bbc.com/news/videos/c2e7dxkxd49o

---