- Andy Rodriguez, father of two, is one of 50 men accused of raping Gisele Pelicot
A man accused of raping the wife of the Monster of Avignon told a court he only went there because he “had nothing else to do on New Year’s Eve.”
Andy Rodriguez, a 37-year-old father of two, is one of 50 men who are said to have raped Gisele, Dominque Pelicot’s wife, after giving her tranquilizers to sedate her.
Pelicot carried out a decade-long nightmare on Mrs Pelicot, who waived her right to anonymity and became a symbol for French women, in a case that has shocked the country.
Farm worker Rodriguez told the Avignon court that he had been “an alcoholic since the age of 14 and a habitual cocaine user” and admitted having had sexual relations with Ms Pelicot, but denied rape.
He, like many others, claims they had no idea she was on drugs and assumed it was all part of a “consensual scenario” between Pelicot and his wife, both 71.
Gisele Pelicot arrives at the Palais de Justice in Avignon, France, this morning
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.
The 71-year-old woman arrives with her lawyer at the trial of her ex-husband and 50 other men accused of raping her
In his testimony, Rodriguez described how he had had an exchange experience before meeting Pelicot on New Year’s Eve 2018 at his home in Mazan, near Avignon.
Rodriguez said: ‘I was in a bar once when a man approached me and said, ‘My wife likes you, would you like to sleep with her while I watch?’
‘I accepted and that same night, I met Pelicot on New Year’s Eve as I had nothing else to do.
‘I had fallen out with my brothers because of my addiction to drink and drugs, so I went to Pelicot’s house.
“I never intended to rape Mrs. Pelicot.”
The court heard that at the time Rodriguez was 31, married with two children, while Ms Pelicot was 66, more than twice his age.
Rodriguez continued: “I had showered, applied aftershave, got ready. An hour after exchanging messages on Coco.fr (a swingers site), I was at his place.”
As she gave her testimony, Mrs. Pelicot listened attentively, shaking her head from time to time, with her son David at her side.
In another case, Pelicot has been accused of raping and murdering a 23-year-old real estate agent in Paris in 1991.
Dominique Pelicot has been dubbed ‘the Monster of Avignon’ after admitting to drugging his wife and allowing strangers to rape her in their marital bed.
Across the room, in a glass box, sat Pelicot, dressed in a pale grey fleece, his cheek resting on his finger as he followed the proceedings.
At one point, David left the courtroom and Pelicot looked toward his son, but he ignored him.
Meanwhile, the court has sparked controversy by sending an email to media outlets covering the case, asking them to remember that “the judicial authority must be able to carry out its missions free from all pressure, in complete independence.”
He added: “The trial must take place in a calm atmosphere that favours the manifestation of the truth and respect for the rights of the parties.”
Dominique Pélicot is accused of recruiting men online to assault his wife repeatedly over a 10-year period
But a representative of the local association of court reporters responded: “Could you tell us what ‘pressures’ you are referring to?”
“What if this pressure is due to the conduct of the journalists present or to the work they do? I dare not imagine.”
Last week, Nadia El Boiroumi, a lawyer representing two of the defendants, was at the centre of controversy after posting a video of herself dancing to Wham’s hit ‘Wake Me Up Before You Go Go’.
She denied any link to Pelicot’s modus operandi of drugging his wife and instead insisted she was targeting critics who said they would have to “get up early” if they wanted to outwit her.
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