Dominik Peliko admitted today that he drugged his wife so dozens of unknown men raped her over nearly a decade, begging for his family's forgiveness as he told a French court: "I am a rapist."
The trial of Pelikou, who is at the center of one of the most spectacular criminal trials in recent French history, was postponed last Sunday due to his poor health.
He faces multiple charges, including rape, gang rape and invasion of privacy by filming and distributing sex tapes.
"I am a rapist, like everyone else in this room," he said addressing the other accused. "I am asking my wife, children, grandchildren to accept my apology. I regret what I did. I am asking for your forgiveness, although it is unforgivable," said Peliko.
This case shocked the country and sparked protests in support of his wife Giselle, which became a symbol of the fight against sexual violence in France.
Pelikot told the court that he had a difficult childhood and that he himself was a rape victim. He said that he wanted his wife to participate in the swapping of partners and that her refusal, along with trauma from his youth, was the trigger for the abuse. "It has become a perversion, envy," he said.
Žižel Peliko was in the courtroom and wore sunglasses during her husband's testimony. The audience greeted her with applause when she left the courtroom during the break. She insisted on a public trial to expose her husband and other men accused of raping her. "For fifty years I lived with a man who I could not imagine was capable of something like this," she said.
Žilezl Peliko filed for divorce after meeting with investigators regarding the case. When asked by one of the lawyers if he thought he could win back his ex-partner, Dominik Peliko said: "it is important to have hope".
Prosecutors said Pelico, who was initially arrested after filming up the skirt of a woman in a supermarket, offered sex with his wife on a website called Coco and filmed the abuse.
In addition to Peliko, another 50 men, aged 26 to 74, were also charged with rape in the southern city of Avignon. Peliko said that a total of 72 men participated in the abuse of his then wife.
"I want to prove that my wife is a victim and not an accomplice, to prove that this happened completely without her knowledge," he said.
Although some defendants have pleaded guilty, others claim that they believed they were participating in the couple's erotic fantasy and that Giselle Pellico actually consented to sexual intercourse.
Giselle Pelico told investigators that she suffered from memory loss and had consulted a gynecologist because of unexplained pain.
The trial should last until December. If found guilty, the accused face up to 20 years in prison.
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