Accomplices of Monster of Avignon, accused of raping Gisele Pelicot
Gisele Pelicot (right) was routinely drugged without her knowledge by her depraved husband Dominique (left) in their retirement chalet in Mazan.
September 26, 2024, published at 2:37 PM ET
A group of men accused of taking part in the repeated rape of a drugged woman on the orders of her husband has shocked France and the world.
RadarOnline.com can reveal that for the first time, seven of the men who allegedly took part have been revealed. They come from different backgrounds and walks of life, but are united by their involvement in a deeply disturbing crime orchestrated by the victim’s husband. Dominique Pelicot.
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Gisele Pelicot chose not to remain anonymous during this trial against her former husband.
Over the course of a decade, Pelicot, a 71-year-old retired electrician, is accused of drugging his wife, 71-year-old Gisele Pelicot, at their retirement home in Mazan, Provence, and inviting strangers to sexually assault her. she was unconscious.
According to prosecutors, the men involved include Hugues Malago, a 39-year-old motorcycle worker and racer; Andy Rodriguez, a 37-year-old farm worker; Mathieu Dartus, a 53-year-old handyman; Jacques Cubeau, a retired Navy firefighter; Lionel Rodriguez, a 44-year-old former supermarket manager turned IT worker; Husamettin Dogan, a 43-year-old painter and decorator; and Thierry Parisis, a 54-year-old local businessman.
Gisèle Pélicot was present during the lengthy trial, officials said.
These seven men are suspected of being part of a larger group of about 50 people recruited online by Dominique Pelicot, who is accused of luring them to his home where they allegedly raped his drugged wife.
According to prosecutors, the men were instructed to park their car nearby and enter the home discreetly. Pelicot, who has been dubbed “The Monster of Avignon,” watched and filmed the alleged attacks, collecting more than 20,000 images and videos, according to law enforcement officials.
The full extent of the alleged abuse was exposed in November 2020, leading to his arrest and trial.
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Gisèle Pélicot (center) was accompanied during the trial by her daughter Caroline (right) and other family members.
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During the ongoing trial in Avignon, one man after another claimed he had been “tricked” by Pelicot into participating in his fantasies, the prosecutor said. However, Pelicot has vehemently denied this and maintained that all the men were willing participants.
In a statement to the court, he stated: “I am a rapist, just like everyone else in this room.”
Gisele Pelicot waived her right to anonymity, making the trial highly publicized and causing widespread outrage. The rape trial, which would typically be private in France, has become a symbol of the broader issue of abuse and exploitation.
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Dominique Pelicot’s lawyer, Beatrice Zavarro, has had to fight accusations that her client avoided the trial by feigning an illness.
The accused men have raised various defenses, with many citing ignorance or coercion. Malago, who met Pelicot through a swingers website, told the court his behavior changed after a motorcycle accident in 2012.
Rodriguez, who met Pelicot at a bar, claimed he only agreed to go to the Pelicot house out of boredom. Dartus, who was reportedly under the influence of ecstasy during the attacks, said he could not remember the events. However, Pelicot rejected their claims of innocence, claiming that each man knew exactly what he was doing.
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Cubeau, the eldest of the suspects, was one of the few to apologize to Gisele Pelicot. During the trial he expressed his remorse and told her he was devastated by his involvement.
Other defendants, such as Lionel Rodriguez, also apologized, while others, such as Dogan, portrayed themselves as victims of Pelicot’s manipulation.
The sheer scale of the alleged abuse, together with the public’s horror and outrage, has made the trial one of the most important in modern France.
