The trial has begun for a man accused of drugging his wife and letting at least 50 men rape her while she was sedated.
Warning: This story contains details that viewers may find distressing
Dominique P. is alleged to have recruited them on a chat room called “without her knowing” in a case that has shocked France.
The 71-year-old was first arrested in September 2020 for filming up women’s skirts in a supermarket.
A computer file labelled “abuses” seized from his home contained more than 20,000 photos and videos of the attacks, according to Le Monde.
The crimes allegedly began in 2011 and the victim – who’s from the Provence region – has no recollection of being raped.
Dominque P is said to have cleaned his wife’s body after the attacks and given the men orders so she would not wake, including warming their hands, not wearing aftershave or smelling of cigarette smoke.
The accused include a fireman, a journalist and a prison guard.
The couple have been married for decades and have three children, but the man was allegedly putting a powerful drug in his wife’s food to knock her out prior to the attacks.
Le Monde reported police had catalogued 92 rapes based on the image files, with 51 of 81 assailants identified.
Dominique P, who claims he was raped by a male nurse when he was a boy, is ready to face “his family and his wife”, his lawyer Beatrice Zavarro told the AFP news agency.
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The Avignon prosecutor’s office said 51 people were standing trial, with 44 lawyers involved.
Some of the accused are expected to deny rape charges and claim they thought the woman had agreed to be drugged.
French media said Dominique P would first be questioned alone, followed by the other accused men divided into eight groups.
The courtroom has been modified due to the large number of people taking part.
Protesters from a feminist group also gathered outside the court as the trial – expected to last four months – got under way on Monday.