The trial of Dominique Pélicot, accused of drugging his wife for 10 years so that at least 50 men could rape her, along with the other accused, is turning into a scandal. Not only because of the seriousness of the facts, but because Pélicot has once again missed the trial on Monday due to a gallstone and a kidney infection, and it is unknown when he will be able to testify. He was supposed to do so last week. He has been absent for several days, and despite being the main accused, he has not been hospitalized, there has been no clear diagnosis of his condition, and he was not treated until Saturday, "eight days after his pains began, I am amazed," his lawyer, Beatrice Zavarro, has denounced.
He is the main accused in the biggest case of sexual violence in France in decades, and lawyers from both sides denounce negligence and speak of an "abnormal situation" bordering on "scandal." If he does not testify, the other 50 men accused of raping his 70-year-old wife, Giséle Pélicot, will not be able to do so either. Dominique Pélicot was supposed to testify last week. The trial, which started two weeks ago and was supposed to end in December, is already a week behind schedule, and if the problems persist, it could be postponed to next year.
"We are talking about a major trial that attracts international interest, if it needs to be postponed, this would mean starting over," one of Gisèle Pélicot's lawyers, Antoine Camus, has denounced. "We needed a week to find out what was wrong with him. And now we know that he has not been given the prescribed medications because they are not in stock. We have lost a week without knowing if the process can continue or not," said Stéphane Babonneau.
The sequence, bordering on surrealism, is as follows: Pélicot was absent on Monday because he was unwell, on Tuesday he could not testify as planned because he was in pain, but it was not specified what exactly was wrong with him. The presiding judge, Roger Arana, requested a judicial expert to examine him. It is assumed that this was done, and on the same day, according to this expert, it was stated that Pélicot was indeed able to appear in court. On Wednesday, he showed up at the court early in the morning but could barely stand and left.
On Thursday, he did not appear, and the session on Friday and also on Monday had to be suspended. Lawyers from both sides have been warning for days that without Pélicot, the trial cannot continue. Until today, what he had was not specified; his lawyer denounces that despite the seriousness of his condition, he is not hospitalized but in jail, and he did not receive medical treatment for his ailment until this Saturday, "several days later."
We are talking about the main figure in the biggest sexual violence scandal in decades in France. The fate of the other 50 involved in the process depends on him. The lawyer of several of the accused, Patrick Gontard, has stated that if this continues, he will request the release of his clients.
The presiding judge has ordered two expert colleagues to examine the accused and provide a report on his health condition this afternoon, and tomorrow, after reading the report, a decision will be made on how many days the process will be suspended because it seems unlikely that Pélicot will be able to testify tomorrow or the day after. "With the experts' report, we will make decisions about the continuation of the process," the judge said. "He said last week that the suspension of the process would be a catastrophe."
Last week, another expert had already examined him, who indeed determined that Pélicot could appear in court. All information is unclear, and the accused's lawyer herself denounced on Thursday not being informed. "The situation is abnormal. For a week, we have been questioning his health status and his ability to come to this trial every day. It is intolerable and unbearable. If he cannot come, we will be in a situation that we will qualify as a scandal," Babonneau reiterated.
"For days, we have been hostages of a situation that should have been resolved, especially when hundreds of people are involved in this process," Pélicot's lawyer denounced.
Gisèle Pélicot, who has been present at the hearing, has thanked for the affection and support in recent days. Demonstrations were held throughout France on Saturday in support of her under the slogan "We are all Gisèle." She wanted this trial to be public and attends with her face uncovered because "shame must change sides."