In a case that shook public opinion, Dominique Bellecot confesses to gang rape in France
Dominique Bellecote, the 71-year-old man accused of drugging his wife to sleep and recruiting dozens of men to abuse her over more than 10 years, has admitted to all charges in his first testimony since the trial began on Sept. 2 in France.
Referring to the fifty accused of raping his ex-wife Giselle“I am a rapist like everyone else in this room,” Bellicot said. “They all know, and they can’t say otherwise.”
“She didn’t deserve this,” he said of his ex-wife. “I was so happy with her.”
“I am guilty of what I did – I tell my wife, my children, my grandchildren… I regret what I did and I ask for forgiveness, even if it is unforgivable,” he added.
Gisele, in turn, stated that it was difficult for her to hear this. She continued: “For 50 years, I lived with a man who I never imagined would be capable of this. I trusted him completely.”
Bellicot, a father and grandfather, told the court he had traumatic experiences as a child, saying he was abused by a male nurse when he was nine. He described a violent father and a mother who was subjected to violent sex.
He noted that at the age of 14, as an apprentice on a construction site, he was forced to witness and participate in the gang rape of a woman. “It was very heavy,” he told the court.
When asked about his marriage to Gisele, Bellicot said he contemplated suicide when he learned she was cheating on him. He said he wanted to crash his car into a tree line, but lacked the courage. “Maybe I should have done it,” he added.
Bellicot also expanded on his feelings for Gisele, whom he said he was “crazy about,” adding, “I loved her so much, and I still love her.”
“I loved her well for 40 years and I loved her badly for 10 years,” he continued, apparently referring to the decade he drugged and abused her.
He was also asked about thousands of videos he filmed of men assaulting his unconscious wife. These were found by investigators and were instrumental in tracking down the 50 men now charged with the rape.
Bellicot admitted that he filmed the men partly for “fun,” but also “as insurance, since thanks to the videos we were able today to find the people who participated in this.”
Although cameras are not allowed in court, the trial is open to the public at the request of Gisèle Bellecote, who waived her right to anonymity at the start of the proceedings. Her legal team said opening the trial would shift “shame” back onto the defendants.
Bellicot, who has been diagnosed with a kidney infection and kidney stones, has been absent from court for about a week due to illness. He is scheduled to testify throughout the day, although he will be allowed to take frequent breaks.
The case has sparked outrage across France, with thousands demonstrating over the weekend to demand an end to rape and in support of Gisèle Bellecote. She had asked for the trial to be open to the public to raise awareness about the use of drugs to commit sexual assault. “Thanks to you, I have the strength to see this fight through to the end,” she told protesters on Monday.
