The accused possesses explicit images of his own minor daughter as well.
During the second day of the court hearing in Avignon, the kid of the main suspect, Dominique P., reaches her breaking point: As the judge shares the investigation findings, she exits the courtroom temporarily, teary-eyed.
A difficult ordeal for the children: In the trial against a Frenchman who repeatedly drugged and allowed other men to rape his wife over a prolonged period, the couple's daughter had to step out of the courtroom in tears. Dominique P., the main suspect, was also discovered to have saved explicit photos of his own daughter on his computer, Judge Roger Arata revealed while reading out the investigation findings.
The daughter, having revealed her tale under an alias in a book, started shaking when the events were detailed and eventually left the courtroom in tears, accompanied by her brothers. Her 72-year-old mother, Gisele P., who learned of her husband's abuses four years prior, remained motionless in her seat. Dominique P. showed no signs of emotion as the judge went over the alleged crimes in a matter-of-fact tone.
The man found himself in the crosshairs of the justice system in 2020, after being caught filming women's skirts in a shopping center. Investigators found numerous photos and videos on his computer depicting his apparently unconscious wife being raped by other men.
Potential perpetrators hailed from various professions and age groups
The defendant used medication to render his wife unconscious. He ordered 450 sleeping pills within a year. In online forums, he offered his wife for rape to other men. "You are like me, you enjoy being the aggressor," he wrote in a message. He informed others that this way he could indulge in sexual practices that his wife would normally refuse.
Investigators identified 72 potential assailants. Of these, 51 will now face trial, 18 of whom are in custody. The defendant faces prison sentences of up to 20 years. Investigators estimate a total of 92 rapes occurred between 2011 and 2020. Most of the co-defendants raped the woman only once, but some did so up to six times.
According to experts, the men didn't have any mental disorders, but they appeared to be driven by a sense of power. Among the accused, ages ranged from 26 to 74, and included a firefighter, a nurse, a prison guard, and a journalist.
Dominique P. instructed the men not to wear perfume or smoke cigarettes to avoid waking his wife. Several of them told investigators they believed it was an erotic game between the couple. However, the main suspect maintains that all the men were aware that his wife was under the influence of medication and unconscious. "Each one of them had the option to leave," investigators assert. According to P.'s statements, only three men actually left, he claimed.
Daughter advocates for victims
Gisele P. filed for divorce after the truth came to light. The trial is expected to last until December 20th. The accused will be questioned, among other things, about the sexual abuse of incapacitated individuals. The trial may rekindle the debate in France about handling suspected rapes following the use of "knockout" drugs.
The couple's daughter published a book in 2022 titled "And I Stopped Calling You Dad." Additionally, she established an organization to support victims of abuse incapacitated by chemical substances. Besides the well-known "date-rape" drug GHB, sedatives and tranquilizers are often used, as per the organization's website. Most cases are recorded within the victims' personal networks, with many sharing living spaces with their abusers.
The daughter, affected by the details of the trial, left the courtroom in tears, having established an organization to support victims of abuse involving medicinal products. The defendant was found to have ordered a large quantity of sleeping pills to render his wife unconscious, using online forums to offer her for rape.
