World
‘I am a rapist’: French man admits to drugging and mass rape of his ex-wife
Dominique Pelicot, 71, admits to drugging his ex-wife so that dozens of other men could rape her and begs for forgiveness.
Dominique Pelicot has admitted to drugging his ex-wife and recruiting dozens of strangers to rape her over nearly a decade, and is begging for his family’s forgiveness.
The 71-year-old’s hearing on Tuesday, the centrepiece of one of France’s most spectacular criminal trials in recent history, had to be delayed last week due to his bad health.
He faces multiple charges including rape, gang rape and privacy breaches by recording and disseminating sexual images.
Pelicot appeared in court with a cane on Tuesday morning and spoke to the judge through a microphone with his lawyer saying he had taken heavy medication and was allowed to take breaks to lie down throughout the day.
“I am a rapist just like all the others in this room,” he said, adding: “I ask my wife, my children, my grandchildren to accept my apologies. I regret what I did. I ask for your forgiveness, even if it is not forgivable.”
The case has shocked the country and triggered nationwide protests in support of his wife Gisele, who has become a symbol of the struggle against sexual violence in France.
Pelicot told the courtroom he had a difficult upbringing and had himself been a victim of rape, breaking into tears during his testimony.
He said he had wanted his wife to participate in partner swaps and her refusal, together with trauma from his youth, had helped to trigger his abusive behaviour.
“It became a perversion, an addiction,” he told the courtroom.
Pelicot, who said he had filmed the acts of abuse as an insurance policy against the men involved, said he had been the victim of blackmail as a result of his activities.
Gisele Pelicot was in the courtroom, wearing sunglasses during her former husband’s appearance on the stand. She was greeted with applause by spectators when she left during breaks.
She had insisted on a public trial to expose her ex-husband and the other men accused of raping her.
“For 50 years, I lived with a man who I would never have imagined was capable of these acts of rape,” she said.
Gisele Pelicot began divorce proceedings after meeting with investigators over the case.
Prosecutors have said Dominique Pelicot, who was initially arrested after filming up a woman’s skirt in a supermarket, offered sex with his then-wife on a website called Coco and filmed the abuse.
In addition to Pelicot, 50 other men, currently aged 26 to 74, are also on trial on rape charges in the southern city of Avignon. Pelicot has said a total of 72 men participated in the abuse of his then-wife.
While some of the defendants admitted guilt to the investigators, others have said they believed they were enacting a couple’s fantasy and that Gisele Pelicot had in fact consented to sex.
Investigators found 300 photographs and a video of the acts and filed them in folders, including one titled “Abuse,” according to a court document.
Gisele Pelicot told investigators that she had suffered from memory lapses and had consulted a gynaecologist for unexplained pains.
The trial is set to last through December. If found guilty, the defendants face up to 20 years in jail.
More than 1,600 rescue workers have arrived and 25 flights filled with aid will land over the next day in Venezuela after earthquakes devastated the country on Wednesday, according to Venezuela’s vice minister of foreign affairs, Oliver Blanco.
World
American rescue teams pull infant alive from rubble in Venezuela days after devastating twin earthquakes
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
American search-and-rescue teams pulled an infant alive from beneath the rubble in Venezuela days after the country’s devastating earthquakes, the U.S. Department of State said Saturday.
The State Department shared video on social media showing U.S. personnel pulling the infant from the rubble as rescue crews continued searching for survivors more than 72 hours after two powerful earthquakes struck the South American country.
The infant was 9 months old and was rescued along with her mother, the State Department told Fox News Digital. Both suffered only minor injuries, according to the rescue team.
“This heroic rescue was carried out in Catia La Mar by the Fairfax County Urban Search and Rescue team (USA-01), which deployed to Venezuela on June 26 following activation by the State Department,” a State Department spokesperson said.
TRUMP SAYS VENEZUELA EARTHQUAKES LEFT ‘DEVASTATING NUMBER OF DEATHS’ AS US READIES AID
American search-and-rescue teams rescued an infant trapped beneath the rubble following this week’s deadly earthquakes in Venezuela, according to the State Department. (Department of State)
The rescue comes as emergency crews race against time to locate survivors before the critical rescue window closes.
“Against impossible odds, hope endures,” the State Department posted on X.
“American search and rescue teams rescued an infant from beneath the rubble following the earthquake in Venezuela,” the post continued. “Every life saved is a victory.”
The White House also shared the video, calling it “America at its best.”
“Thank you to the American search and rescue teams providing assistance in Venezuela,” the White House wrote.
PLAYERS, FANS FLEE STADIUM AS POWERFUL EARTHQUAKES STRIKE DURING VENEZUELA BASEBALL GAME
Rescue workers search through the rubble three days after earthquakes struck Catia la Mar, Venezuela. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)
Round-the-clock rescue efforts have continued since magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 earthquakes struck Venezuela’s northern coast Wednesday.
As of Saturday evening, officials said the death toll from the twin earthquakes had reached 1,430.
Earlier Saturday, officials reported that 243 people had been rescued.
FORMER METS PITCHER NARROWLY ESCAPES DEATH IN VENEZUELA EARTHQUAKES THANKS TO ELEVATOR MALFUNCTION
Rescue personnel with a rescue dog assist in rescue efforts after earthquakes hit the country, in La Guaira, Venezuela, Saturday. (REUTERS/Leonardo Fernandez Viloria)
According to The Associated Press, more than 68,000 people remain missing across the country.
Aid groups consider the first 48 to 72 hours after a disaster to be the most critical window for finding survivors, though access to food and water can extend that period.
Venezuelan officials said 17 flights carrying more than 1,600 rescue personnel had arrived Saturday to assist with search-and-rescue efforts.
US RESCUE TEAMS TO DESCEND ON HARD-HIT CARIBBEAN AFTER CATASTROPHIC HURRICANE MELISSA’S IMPACT
Members of the County of Los Angeles Fire Department’s international urban search and rescue team (USA-2) prepare to leave for Venezuela, in Pacoima, Calif., on Thursday. (Blake Fagan/AFP via Getty Images)
Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) teams from Virginia, California and Florida were dispatched to Venezuela on Friday to help search collapsed buildings.
According to the State Department, the three USAR teams include 312 personnel and 18 canine teams, including firefighters, physicians, structural engineers and canine search specialists. The teams also deployed more than 200,000 pounds of specialized rescue equipment.
The Los Angeles County team includes 73 members equipped with concrete-breaking equipment and specialized listening devices used to detect survivors trapped beneath debris.
COLORADO AVALANCHE VICTIM RESCUED IN DRAMATIC VIDEO
Responders search for victims in a demolished building in Caracas, Venezuela, after a magnitude 7.2 earthquake and a 7.5 aftershock struck the region. (Jesus Vargas/Getty Images)
Rescuers have fanned out across La Guaira, where the worst destruction occurred, and parts of Caracas, where families and volunteers have spent days pulling survivors and victims from the rubble.
The United States has pledged $150 million in emergency assistance and support for international relief organizations responding to the disaster.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
Fox News Digital has reached out to the State Department for additional information on the rescue.
Fox News Digital’s James Cirrone, and The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić announced on Saturday that he will resign in the coming weeks and called for early presidential and parliamentary elections.
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
“I will be president for only a few weeks, and then I will resign,” Vučić told supporters at a rally in Belgrade. His second and final term was due to expire in mid-2027.
His remarks followed recent comments suggesting he could step down, amid speculation that he may seek a return as prime minister, a position he held from 2014 to 2017
It also follows a year and a half of student-led anti-corruption protests, triggered by the collapse of a railway station canopy in Novi Sad that killed 16 people. The protesters have been demanding early elections.
During his speech, Vučić said he would support his Serbian Progressive Party in the upcoming elections, including snap parliamentary polls originally scheduled for next year.
He did not provide a specific timeline for his resignation or for the dissolution of parliament, which is required before early legislative elections can be held.
-
Denver, CO2 minutes ago
Even without extension talks, Nikola Jokic has reiterated his desire to stay long-term in Denver
-
Seattle, WA9 minutes agoWEST. SEATTLE COYOTES: Three sightings
-
San Diego, CA10 minutes agoWe mapped San Diego County’s voter registration, turnout and governor election results from the June primary
-
Milwaukee, WI12 minutes agoAfter Another Unsuccessful Opportunity, Craig Yoho’s Time In Milwaukee Could Be Nearing Its End
-
Atlanta, GA17 minutes agoWould you work here? Georgia’s top office has been revealed
-
Minneapolis, MN24 minutes agoMinneapolis shooting leaves 1 injured near Penn Avenue
-
Indianapolis, IN27 minutes agoStorms fade with dangerous heat building through midweek | June 27, 2026
-
Pittsburg, PA32 minutes agoTwo dead in early morning crash on Pennsylvania Turnpike
