A French man accused of hiring strangers to rape his intoxicated wife will return to court to testify on Wednesday after being hospitalised, the presiding judge in his trial said.
Dominic Pellicot, a 71-year-old retiree accused of repeatedly raping and assaulting his wife, was hospitalised on Tuesday, leading to speculation the trial could be postponed, but the presiding judge said the trial could now continue as planned.
Judge Roger Arata said he was handed a medical certificate stating Pellicott was healthy enough to resume his normal daily activities and that his state had allowed him to be transferred from his prison cell to the courtroom.
Pellicot has been on trial since last week, along with about 50 other people aged between 26 and 74 for their alleged involvement in the case that has rocked France.
The main defendant, who has admitted the charges against him, was scheduled to be questioned on Tuesday afternoon but appeared frail on Monday, leaning on a cane and the glass portion of the dock, and his lawyer Beatrice Zavaro said he was excused from court because he suffered from stomach pains.
Zavaro said his client was not dodging his case in any way.
“He has always said he will be present and testify. It is necessary,” he said.
Presiding Judge Arata ordered that the accused be examined, and said he could request a postponement of the trial “until his health improves.”
‘nothing will change’
But based on the doctor’s note, Arata said Tuesday that “nothing will change” in Wednesday’s schedule and that Pellicot will be questioned “during the break” scheduled in the original schedule.
Experts on Monday described Pellicott as a self-centered manipulator who lacked empathy and had a split personality.
His ex-wife and victim, Gisele Pellicot, 71, says she was troubled by his strange memory lapses for years until police accidentally uncovered the abuse when he was caught filming up women’s skirts at a local supermarket.
The trial is open to the public at his request to raise awareness about drug use for sexual assault.
The family’s attorney, Stephane Babonneau, said Tuesday that it was “urgently important that Mr. Pellicott receive medical treatment and be able to participate in the arraignment.”
“Pellicott and her children do not wish to testify without her presence,” Gisele said.
Most of the alleged rapes took place in the Pellicot home in Mazan, a village of 6,000 people in the southern region of Provence.
Pellicott had kept meticulous records of his abuse of his wife, which were discovered when police confiscated his computer and other equipment.
‘deep unconscious state’
An investigator who examined images and footage found on the main defendant’s computer told the court on Tuesday that all the co-accused were aware that Gisele Pellicot was unconscious.
“In addition to the pictures, you also have to hear the sound. You will immediately notice that she is sleeping,” said Stephen Gall.
“Some even came back multiple times, and none of them would have been aware that she was in a deep coma.”
Of the 51 accused, including Pellicot, 18 remain in custody, while 32 other defendants are attending the trial as free individuals.
The last accused is still at large, and is being tried in absentia.
The investigator pointed out the case of one of the co-defendants, Matthew D., who, like several others, was accused of sexually abusing Gisele Pellicott without a condom.
Police identified him based on a distinctive tattoo, Gall said.
They found his contact number in the main defendant’s telephone, and his phone data showed that he was in Mazan that day.
During questioning, Matthew D. said, “he knew Dominique Pellicott would put his wife to sleep, but he thought it was part of a ‘sexual game.’ He said it was presented as a scenario and he naively, blindly agreed to it,” Gall said.
The main defendant’s daughter, Caroline Darian, 45, said her life “literally turned upside down” when she heard about the abuse.
Nude photos of her were also found on her father’s computer.
The couple’s two sons are still unable to speak.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
