Monster of Avignon stuns courtroom with shocking admission as he finally gives evidence about drugging his wife and allowing dozens of men to rape her – before she gives emotional response.By Peter Allen and James Reynolds and Nick Pisa
Mr Pélicot is accused of drugging and raping his wife with dozens of other men
The ‘Monster of Avignon’ stunned the courtroom in his closely-watched trial today as he admitted to drugging his wife and allowing multiple strangers to rape her.Dominique Pélicot, 71, spoke for the first time about his crimes on Tuesday morning after a period of absence from his trial due to sickness.’I am a rapist, like everyone else in this courtroom,’ he admitted today during a trial that has captured the world’s attention for its scale and horror. ‘I recognise the facts in their totality’.
Mr Pélicot stood in the dock at the Vaucluse Criminal Court, in Avignon as he faces trial alongside 50 other men, all accused of ‘aggravated rape’ of his wife Gisèle Pélicot, also 71, over a period of ten years. He faces 20 years in prison if found guilty.
Bravely facing her former husband in court, Ms Pélicot said: ‘It is difficult to hear it.
‘For fifty years, I lived with a man who I would never have imagined for a single second that he could do these acts. I had complete confidence in this man.’
