A “happily married father” today told how he stripped naked and entered the Monster of Avignon’s marital home in the middle of the night “wearing only a condom” to have sex with his unconscious wife.
Husamettin Dogan, 43, broke down in court as he tried to justify the assault on Gisele Pelicot, who “appeared dead” as her husband filmed the encounter in June 2019.
Dogan is one of 50 men accused of abusing Gisele Pelicot over a period of ten years after her 50-year-old husband, Dominique, drugged her at their home in Provence, southern France, between 2011 and 2020.
Dogan told the court he believed he was participating in a sex game.
He said he had met Pelicot in an internet chat room – coco.fr – used by swingers and that he told him his wife wanted a new sexual partner.
Husamettin Dogan, 43, broke down in court as he tried to justify the assault on Gisele Pelicot (pictured above as she arrived at court this morning), who “looked dead” as her husband filmed the encounter in June 2019.
Dominique Pelicot, who allegedly drugged and raped his wife Gisele Pelicot, appears during his trial with 50 co-defendants at the courthouse in Avignon, France, on September 17, 2024.
Dogan is one of 50 men accused of abusing Gisele Pelicot over a period of ten years after her 50-year-old husband Dominique (pictured) drugged her at their home in Provence, southern France, between 2011 and 2020.
Dogan told the court: “I thought I was playing a sex game. Pelicot said they had been married for a long time and his wife wanted a new sexual partner.
“He said his wife pretends to be asleep during sex. It was something they had. Every couple has different sexual fantasies. He said I would go into the bedroom and take care of his wife.”
Dogan told the court he was having a drink with friends when Pelicot, whom he had met online two days earlier, called him and asked if he wanted to come to her house that night in June 2019.
He explained how he drove about 60km to the village of Mazan and stripped naked on the terrace of Pelicot’s chalet, before going inside wearing nothing but a condom.
He said: ‘I am a happily married man. I have a son. I did not want to pass on a disease to my wife. I had complete trust in him. I left everything outside: my clothes, my wallet, my phone.
“I walked straight into the bedroom. The woman was lying with her back to me. She had a handkerchief over her eyes.”
Dogan told the court he questioned Pelicot about his wife’s state of consciousness.
“I told him, ‘This woman looks dead.’ But Pelicot told me, ‘She’s not dead.’ It was a sex scene.”
The court heard Dogan abused Madame Pelicot for more than three hours, while her husband filmed him, stopping only to drink a “baby whiskey”.
He said he believed Madame Pelicot had given her consent because she had invited him to her house and her husband had given her permission.
Judge Roger Arata asked Dogan: ‘Did you think Madame Pelicot was really asleep or was she pretending?’
Dogan replied: “He said she was pretending. It was a sexual game. Every couple is different. Everyone has their own things.”
He added: “I only started to have doubts when he started snoring.”
Dominique Pélicot is accused of recruiting men online to assault his wife repeatedly over a 10-year period
Gisele Pelicot (C) acknowledges the applause of the public upon her arrival at the Avignon courthouse during the trial.
Dogan told the court that it was only after his arrest two years later that he learned that Pelicot had drugged his wife.
But he justified his actions by saying it was “unimaginable” that a man would do such a thing to his wife.
He added: “During my arrest, the police humiliated me. They locked me in a cell and treated me like an animal in a cage.
“I have been insulted in the street. I have been called a rapist in the street. I have been disrespected.”
Brave Gisele Pelicot was present in court and listened intently as Dogan gave testimony.
Retired electrician Dominique Pelicot has admitted drugging his wife and inviting dozens of men to rape her at their home in the south of France over a decade.
Last week, Pelicot, 71, stood before his ex-wife and three adult children to express remorse for his terrifying campaign of abuse and condemned the other 50 men as rapists.
He told the court: “I am a rapist, just like everyone else in this room.”
Today Pelicot accused Dogan of being “a liar” claiming that he knew what he was doing when he joined the internet chat room titled “without his knowledge.”
During questioning, Dogan claimed that Pelicot had intimidated him.
He said: “I am a victim of Pelicot.” Asked if Madame Pelicot was a victim, he replied: “That’s another thing, she was his wife. I fell into a trap.”
The trial continues.