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- A total of 51 men, including Dominique Pelicot, are on trial, with one defendant still at large
AVIGNON, France: The daughter of the French man standing trial for enlisting dozens of strangers to rape his heavily-sedated wife on Tuesday clashed with her father at his trial, shouting in the courtroom that he would 鈥渄ie in lies.鈥�
Since early September, Dominique Pelicot has been in the dock along with 49 other men for organizing the rapes and sexual abuse of his now ex-wife Gisele Pelicot.
In a closing statement, Dominique Pelicot again admitted to the accusations, saying that his 鈥渕otive鈥� was wanting to satisfy a 鈥渇antasy.鈥�
鈥淚 came to do what I did through people who willingly accepted what I proposed,鈥� he told the court.
Dominique Pelicot, as in previous statements, went back to his past, saying that he was affected throughout his life by a rape he said he suffered at the age of nine in hospital, and then at the age of 14 being forced to witness the gang-rape of a young girl at a building site.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 know when I鈥檒l get out, but if I do get out (of prison), I don鈥檛 have any plans. What saddens me the most is that people think I鈥檓 capable of certain things that I鈥檓 not capable of doing,鈥� he added.
Family lawyer Antoine Camus then interjected that Dominique Pelicot鈥檚 daughter Caroline Darian, joined in court by her brothers David and Florian, needed an 鈥渁udible and human response鈥� to the actions she says she is 鈥渃onvinced鈥� she suffered at his hands.
Caroline Darian, a pen name, in 2022, wrote a book 鈥淓t j鈥檃i cesse de t鈥檃ppeler papa鈥� (鈥淎nd I stopped calling you dad鈥�). She believes she was also assaulted by her father who took intimate photographs of her.
鈥淚 am not going to try to convince her with perverse answers,鈥� Dominique Pelicot replied.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 remember taking these photos. I tell her straight in the eyes that I never touched her.鈥�
He then turned to her directly and said: 鈥淐aroline, I have never done anything to you.鈥�
But she interrupted, saying: 鈥淵ou lie, you don鈥檛 have the courage to tell the truth! Even about your ex-wife!鈥�
鈥淵ou will die in lies! Alone, alone in lies Dominique Pelicot!,鈥� she continued before being interrupted by judge Roger Arata.
Nude photos taken without her knowledge and photomontages of Caroline Darian with lewd titles were found on her father鈥檚 hard drive. In some, she appears asleep, sometimes wearing her mother鈥檚 underwear.
A total of 51 men, including Dominique Pelicot, are on trial, with one defendant still at large.