A rapist who abused unconscious Gisele Pelicot got his partner to leave him and wait in the car while he performed the sordid sex act.
Abdelali Dallal, 47, admitted two counts of rape committed in January and March 2018 and is one of 50 men currently testifying in the case which has made headlines around the world.
The shocking case involves retired electrician Dominique Pelicot, 72, who in a decade-long campaign drugged his unsuspecting wife Gisele Pelicot, 71, so that dozens of men could rape and abuse her, while he watched and filmed
Dallal, director of a glazing company, told investigators that he met Pelicot online while browsing a swingers website called Coco.fr, which has since closed, and that he had invited him to sleep with his wife.
Speaking before him, Dallal’s ex-partner told the Avignon court how she had taken him to the Pelicot home in the nearby picturesque village of Mazan, but said she had not asked him why he was there.
It comes as Mrs Pelicot was greeted with warm applause as she arrived at court this morning to give her verdict on the evidence heard so far in her husband’s ongoing trial.
Monster of Avignon rape victim Gisele Pelicot was greeted with warm applause as she arrived (pictured above) to testify at her husband’s ongoing trial.
Ms Pelicot will be asked by trial judge Roger Arata for her opinion on the evidence heard so far and comes as the final group of 50 defendants are being questioned.
The shocking case involved retired electrician Dominique Pelicot (pictured), 72, who in a decade-long campaign drugged his unsuspecting wife Gisele Pelicot, 71, so that dozens of men could rape and abuse her, while he watched and filmed them.
This courtroom sketch by Valentin Pasquier shows Gisele Pelicot, left, and her ex-husband Dominique Pelicot, right, during their trial, at the Avignon court in Avignon, southern France, on September 17, 2024.
Dallal’s ex-partner told the court how she left him: “When we arrived, I waited in the car, it was night and I don’t remember how long we were there.
“He told me not to park directly in front of the house, but a little further away. I didn’t ask him why we were there or what he was doing there, I didn’t want to know.”
Dallal was later arrested after being recognized by the partner of another accused who had been questioned about the case while being shown photographs of the accused recovered from the devices kept by Pelicot.
At first, Dallal denied it was him, insisting that “it must be a double”, before confessing that it was him and at the start of the trial last month he admitted to the two rapes of which he is accused.
During questioning, he told police he had since suffered a stroke and was 80 percent disabled, adding that he was “stupid” for returning home because he knew “I was doing something stupid,” he said.
Large crowds had gathered outside the court this morning for the hearing which comes at the midpoint of a case that has made headlines around the world for its sordid nature.
Dressed as elegantly as ever, Mrs. Pelicot waved to her supporters and thanked whoever gave her a good luck card as she made her way through the crowd toward the courtroom.
The Pelicot house in the village of Mazan, now known as the house of horrors.
Dressed as elegantly as ever, Ms. Pelicot waved to her supporters and thanked whoever gave her a good luck card as she made her way through the crowd toward the courtroom.
Mr. Pélicot appears before the Avignon court on September 11
Ms Pelicot will be asked by trial judge Roger Arata for her opinion on the evidence heard so far and comes as the final group of 50 defendants are being questioned.
Quentin Hennebert, 34, a prison guard who worked at the same time Pelicot was detained in Pontet prison, is due to testify this week after his arrest in 2020 for dressing women up skirts in a supermarket.
Hennebert is accused of raping Ms Pelicot in November 2019 and has also pleaded guilty to the charge.
Four other men will also testify and have been named fathers of four: Jean Luc La, 46, delivery driver Florin Rocca, 32, electrician Patrice Nicolle, 55, and Gregory Serviol, 31.
Mrs Pelicot, a mother of three, has bravely waived her right to anonymity to unmask the alleged perpetrators.
The trial began almost eight weeks ago and has already heard from 30 men, most of whom denied rape, stating that they thought they were engaging in a role-play with a swinging couple, many saying that because Pelicot was present, it had been given “consent.”
The defendants face a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison if convicted, are aged between 26 and 74 and come from all walks of life, including journalist, soldier, local councillor, carpenter and firefighter.
The abuse took place in the southern French town of Mazan and was only discovered after the man was caught cheating on women in a local supermarket, prompting officers to search his home.
People take part in a march in support of rape victim Gisele Pelicot on October 5, 2024 in Mazan, France.
Dominique Pelicot is accused of recruiting men online to assault his wife repeatedly over ten years
Dominique Pelicot, who allegedly drugged and raped his wife Gisele Pelicot, appears during his trial on September 17 (right)
When given a brief opportunity to speak last month, Ms Pelicot said she felt “humiliated” at being labeled an “alcoholic and a conspirator” during the initial part of the hearing.
Since the trial began, French people have come out in droves to support her, with many organizing protests across the country, the latest of which took place last weekend.
One was held in Mazan, where most of the attacks took place, and hundreds of people marched through the quiet Provence town to show their support.
At the trial in Avignon, man after man claimed that Pelicot had “tricked” them into participating in his twisted fantasies of raping and humiliating his wife, many of which were filmed.
Last month, Pelicot was in the dock and admitted his guilt, accusing all of his co-defendants of having been willful conspirators.
He told the court: “I am a rapist, like everyone else in this courtroom.”