A French retiree accused of recruiting dozens of strangers online to rape his wife after drugging her into unconsciousness is set to face trial on Monday, September 2.
Dominique P., the primary suspect and a 71-year-old former employee of France’s power utility EDF, is standing trial alongside 50 other men in the southern city of Avignon. The men are charged with raping the woman, who, according to her lawyers, was so heavily sedated that she was unaware of the assaults.
Antoine Camus, victim’s lawyer, stated that the trial will be “a horrible ordeal” for the victim, who is now in her 70s and wishes to remain anonymous, according to CBS News.
The trial which is expected to continue until December will determine the extent of the accused men’s awareness of the victim’s condition, which experts describe as being closer to a coma than to sleep.
Lady discovers husband’s actions at age 68
Camus said that the victim will be confronting the rapes she endured over a decade, despite having “no recollection” of them. The lady discovered her husband’s secret actions in 2020 at the age of 68.
Although she could have requested a closed-door trial, the woman chose not to, as “that’s what her attackers would have wanted,” Camus said, as quoted by CBS News. He lauded her determination to face the accused, including her husband of 50 years.
Accused caught filming under women skirts
Police began investigating the primary accused in September 2020 after he was caught secretly filming under the skirts of women in a shopping center.
A search of his computer revealed thousands of images and videos of his wife. She was visibly unconscious and often in the fetal position in the images and videos. The recordings documented numerous instances of rape. The abuse took place in their home in Mazan, a small village near Avignon.
Man recruites strangers to assault his wife
The investigation also uncovered chat logs on the now-defunct website coco.fr, where Dominique P. recruited strangers to come to his home and assault his wife. Police identified 72 men involved in 92 incidents of rape, with 51 suspects formally identified.
Dominique P. admits drugging his wife
Dominique P. admitted to drugging his wife with powerful tranquilizers like Temesta. The abuse began in 2011 near Paris and continued after the couple moved to Mazan in 2013. He gave the men specific instructions to avoid waking her, such as avoiding strong scents, warming their hands, and undressing in the kitchen to prevent leaving clothes in the bedroom.
What assaulters say?
Prosecutors allege that Dominique P. participated in the assaults, recorded them, and encouraged the men using degrading language. The accused, ranging in age from 21 to 68 and from various backgrounds -including a forklift driver, fire officer, company executive, and journalist – claimed they were merely fulfilling the fantasies of a consenting couple. However, Dominique P. told investigators the men were aware his wife was drugged without her knowledge. He also admitted that only three men left without participating, while the others proceeded with the assault.
Previous allegations on Dominique P.
Dominique P. is also facing allegations of a 1991 murder and rape, which he denies, as well as an attempted rape in 1999, which he admitted to following DNA evidence. Psychiatric evaluations have characterised him as a manipulative patriarch with a perverse personality who used his wife as “bait.”
Dominique P., the primary suspect and a 71-year-old former employee of France’s power utility EDF, is standing trial alongside 50 other men in the southern city of Avignon. The men are charged with raping the woman, who, according to her lawyers, was so heavily sedated that she was unaware of the assaults.
Antoine Camus, victim’s lawyer, stated that the trial will be “a horrible ordeal” for the victim, who is now in her 70s and wishes to remain anonymous, according to CBS News.
The trial which is expected to continue until December will determine the extent of the accused men’s awareness of the victim’s condition, which experts describe as being closer to a coma than to sleep.
Lady discovers husband’s actions at age 68
Camus said that the victim will be confronting the rapes she endured over a decade, despite having “no recollection” of them. The lady discovered her husband’s secret actions in 2020 at the age of 68.
Although she could have requested a closed-door trial, the woman chose not to, as “that’s what her attackers would have wanted,” Camus said, as quoted by CBS News. He lauded her determination to face the accused, including her husband of 50 years.
Accused caught filming under women skirts
Police began investigating the primary accused in September 2020 after he was caught secretly filming under the skirts of women in a shopping center.
A search of his computer revealed thousands of images and videos of his wife. She was visibly unconscious and often in the fetal position in the images and videos. The recordings documented numerous instances of rape. The abuse took place in their home in Mazan, a small village near Avignon.
Man recruites strangers to assault his wife
The investigation also uncovered chat logs on the now-defunct website coco.fr, where Dominique P. recruited strangers to come to his home and assault his wife. Police identified 72 men involved in 92 incidents of rape, with 51 suspects formally identified.
Dominique P. admits drugging his wife
Dominique P. admitted to drugging his wife with powerful tranquilizers like Temesta. The abuse began in 2011 near Paris and continued after the couple moved to Mazan in 2013. He gave the men specific instructions to avoid waking her, such as avoiding strong scents, warming their hands, and undressing in the kitchen to prevent leaving clothes in the bedroom.
What assaulters say?
Prosecutors allege that Dominique P. participated in the assaults, recorded them, and encouraged the men using degrading language. The accused, ranging in age from 21 to 68 and from various backgrounds -including a forklift driver, fire officer, company executive, and journalist – claimed they were merely fulfilling the fantasies of a consenting couple. However, Dominique P. told investigators the men were aware his wife was drugged without her knowledge. He also admitted that only three men left without participating, while the others proceeded with the assault.
Previous allegations on Dominique P.
Dominique P. is also facing allegations of a 1991 murder and rape, which he denies, as well as an attempted rape in 1999, which he admitted to following DNA evidence. Psychiatric evaluations have characterised him as a manipulative patriarch with a perverse personality who used his wife as “bait.”