Warning: This story accommodates distressing particulars from the beginning.

Dominique Pelicot, the 71-year-old man accused of drugging his spouse to sleep and recruiting dozens of males to abuse her for over 10 years, has admitted to all the fees in opposition to him in his first testimony because the trial opened on 2 September.

Referring to the 50 co-defendants who’re accused of raping his now ex-wife Gisèle, Mr Pelicot stated: “I’m a rapist just like the others on this room.”

“All of them knew, they can’t say the opposite,” he stated. Solely 15 of the 50 defendants admit rape, with most saying they solely took half in sexual acts.

Of his ex-wife, Mr Pelicot stated: “She didn’t deserve this.”

“I used to be very completely happy along with her,” he instructed the court docket.

He begged his spouse and household to simply accept his apology, saying: “I apologize, regardless that it’s unacceptable.”

Gisèle, who was given the prospect to reply shortly after, stated: “It’s tough for me to take heed to this. For 50 years, I lived with a person who I might’ve by no means imagined might be able to this. I trusted him utterly.”

Though no cameras are allowed in court docket, the trial is open to the general public on the request of Gisèle Pelicot, who waived her proper to anonymity at the start of the proceedings. Her authorized crew stated opening up the trial would shift the “disgrace” again on to the accused.

As she stepped out of the courtroom throughout a pause within the listening to on Tuesday, Gisèle was met by applause from onlookers, and she or he smiled as she accepted a bouquet of flowers.

For the reason that trial started, Gisèle has change into an emblem of resilience and braveness. Final weekend, hundreds of individuals gathered in cities throughout France to indicate their assist to her and different victims of rape, and the trial has ignited a nationwide dialog on marital rape, consent and chemical submission.

Mr Pelicot, who’s a father and grandfather, started his testimony by telling the court docket of traumatic childhood experiences and stated he was abused by a male nurse when he was 9 years previous.

When requested about his marriage to Gisèle, Mr Pelicot stated he thought of suicide when he discovered she was having an affair.

All through his testimony on Tuesday morning, Mr Pelicot repeatedly assured the court docket that he by no means “hated” his spouse and was actually “loopy about [her]… I cherished her immensely and I nonetheless do.”

“I cherished her properly for 40 years and badly for 10,” he added, apparently referring to the last decade throughout which he drugged her and abused her.

Mr Pelicot was then questioned by Stéphane Babonneau, one in all Gisèle’s legal professionals, who requested him why he had been unable to search out the desire to cease abusing her, even when she began presenting medical issues.

In earlier classes of the trial, Gisèle stated she had been anxious she was creating Alzheimer’s or a mind tumour due to hair and weight reduction and huge reminiscence gaps. These have been, actually, side-effects of the medicine her husband was giving her.

“I attempted to cease, however my dependancy was stronger, the necessity was rising,” he stated.

“I used to be attempting to reassure her, I betrayed her belief. I ought to’ve stopped sooner, actually I ought to’ve by no means began in any respect.”

Mr Pelicot can be accused of drugging and abusing his daughter, Caroline, after semi-naked photographs of her have been discovered on his laptop computer. He has beforehand denied this and on Tuesday he additionally said he had by no means touched his grandchildren. “I can look my household within the eyes and inform them that nothing else occurred,” he stated.

Mr Pelicot additionally stated he “grew to become perverted” when, in 2010, he met a male nurse on the web who prompt he drug his spouse with a sedative, defined learn how to administer it and shared photographs of drugged ladies. “That is when all of it clicked,” Mr Pelicot stated. “All the things began then.”

In a single part of Tuesday’s listening to, Mr Pelicot was additionally requested concerning the hundreds of movies he filmed of males abusing his unconscious spouse. These have been discovered by investigators and have been instrumental in monitoring down the 50 males who are actually accused of rape.

Mr Pelicot recognised he had filmed the boys partly for “pleasure,” but in addition “as insurance coverage”.

All through the morning, Mr Pelicot appeared decided to rebut one of many predominant traces of defence of a number of of the accused, which hinges on the premise they didn’t “know” they have been raping Gisèle – in different phrases, that they thought they have been having consensual intercourse along with her.

Mr Pelicot met the defendants on a chat room referred to as “With out her data” on a now-closed web site which hosted pornographic materials.

“I did not drive anybody, they got here to search for me,” he stated on Tuesday. “They requested me if they may come, and I stated sure. I by no means handcuffed and dragged anybody.”

Some have stated they have been “manipulated” by Mr Pelicot into believing they have been participating in an erotic sport during which Gisèle was solely pretending to be asleep as a result of she was shy, and a number of other denied they knew they have been being filmed.

However Mr Pelicot stated the one individual he ever “manipulated” was his spouse, and in addition stated that the boys will need to have recognized they have been being filmed: “There was a tripod and a display connected to it, everybody might see it as quickly as they walked into the room.”

Mr Pelicot stated he needed to show that his spouse “was a sufferer and never an confederate. To show that all the things occurred with out her data. I am conscious many [defendants] have disputed this.”

Béatrice Zavarro, Mr Pelicot’s lawyer, instructed French TV that she didn’t know what folks would consider her shopper, however that he was “sharing his fact”.

She added that Mr Pelicot was “very downtrodden” and that though she didn’t know what his spouse would make of his admission of guilt, “the confession is now below method and he’ll proceed.”

She stated: “We’ll get to the top of this trial and we are going to know all the things about Dominique Pelicot.”

Mr Pelicot, who was recognized with a kidney an infection and kidney stones, was absent from court docket for practically every week due to sickness. He’s set to provide his testimony all through the day, though he will probably be allowed frequent breaks.