A trial is currently underway in France involving a 71-year-old man, Dominique P, accused of drugging and raping his wife repeatedly, and orchestrating sexual assaults by numerous other men over a span of more than a decade.
The case, which has shocked France due to its horrific scale, alleges that Dominique P recruited strangers from online platforms to come to his home and assault his wife while she was heavily sedated.
Her lawyers claim that she was so drugged that she remained unaware of the abuse taking place.
According to police, investigations revealed at least 92 instances of rape involving 72 men.
Of these, fifty individuals have been identified, charged, and are facing trial alongside Dominique P.
The victim, now 72 years old, only discovered the abuse in 2020 after being informed by the police.
Her lawyer, Antoine Camus, described the upcoming trial as a “horrible ordeal” for the victim, who will be confronting video evidence of the abuse for the first time.
“This will be the first time she experiences the rapes she endured over a decade,” Camus told AFP news agency.
The case came to light after an incident in September 2020, when Dominique P was caught secretly filming under women’s skirts in a shopping center.
A subsequent police search of his computer revealed hundreds of images and videos showing his wife, who appeared to be unconscious, during various assaults in their home, which are believed to have started in 2011.
Investigators also found online conversations in which Dominique P allegedly arranged for men to come to their home and rape his wife.
He has admitted to using powerful tranquilizers on her and participating in the assaults, as well as filming and encouraging the attacks with degrading language.
The accused rapists, ranging in age from 26 to 74, came from diverse backgrounds, with most participating only once, though some were involved up to six times.
Their defense claims they were part of a consensual fantasy orchestrated by the couple, but Dominique P has acknowledged that the men were aware his wife was drugged without her consent.
Experts have noted that her condition was “closer to a coma than to sleep.”
In addition to these charges, Dominique P faces accusations related to a 1991 murder and rape, which he denies, and an attempted rape in 1999, which he confessed to following DNA evidence.
The trial, held in Parc des Expositions in Avignon, is set to continue until December 20.
On the first day of the trial, the victim attended court with her three children.
Despite the option for a closed trial, her lawyer stated that choosing this route would have been in line with what her attackers would have preferred.
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