Dominique Pericot, accused of rape along with 50 other men, broke down in tears as his wife testified against him. Today, 71-year-old Gisele Pericot spoke in court for the first time.
Her husband cried uncontrollably in court as his wife, who was allegedly raped by more than 70 men, relived the horror of finding out she had four sexually transmitted diseases.
The frail Gisele Pericot, 71, testified at the rape trial of her husband, Dominique Pericot, also 71, and 50 other men. She detailed how they fell in love and began their married life together before her world “came crashing down” when her husband’s despicable crimes were discovered.
The mother of three and grandmother of seven grandchildren has waived her right to anonymity to reveal details of the terrible betrayal she endured for more than a decade at the hands of her partner of 50 years. The pair faced off in a packed courtroom at the Vaucluse Criminal Court in the French city of Avignon.
Judge Roger Arata asked her if there was anything wrong with her after 10 years of abuse, to which she replied that she had taken an HIV test, adding:
Another judge asked her if she had ever discussed filming sex acts with her husband. She said: “I never agreed to Monsieur Perico filming us having sex. No, the only time we ever had such discussions was in the swinger’s room of a nightclub. I understood that he wanted it.” But it was impossible for me. ”
Mr Pericot and 50 others are accused of raping her, and while Mr Pericot and 14 of his accomplices have admitted their involvement in France’s worst rape case, 35 men (including civil servants and paramedics) have previously been heard saying that soldiers denied it, while prison guards, nurses,
Journalists, local councillors and truck drivers insisted they forced themselves on Ms Pericot while she was unconscious and that she had somehow consented. Mr Pericot is in the midst of divorce proceedings and remains in custody, charged with a string of unspeakable crimes that could land him up to 20 years in prison.
Police found images on Mr Pericot’s camera and laptop of his wife’s alleged multiple rapes between 2011 and 2014 – most of which were committed by strangers he found online.
The police officer who first brought Perico to court, Jeremy Bosse Platierre, estimated that Perico “had committed at least 200 rapes against his wife” before the unknown men arrived at his home. They had been contacted by Perico through a free sex website.
Commissioner Bosse Platiere said there were hundreds of photographs and pornographic videos “showing Gisele Perico sleeping and engaging in sexual acts in the presence of other people.”
During his detention, a hard drive hidden under a printer was discovered, which contained a file called “Abuses.” It contained the nicknames and phone numbers of his attackers, as well as around 3,800 photos and videos of rapes committed by Gisele Perico between 2011 and 2020.
Investigators have listed a total of 92 rapes by 72 men, 51 of whom have been identified. Perico is said to have emigrated to France with his family from the Paris area in 1991 and then established the sex ring.
Participants discussed their acts on unsuspecting partners, filming their depraved acts and saving them on a USB stick. Of the 83 men involved, 51 have been identified and arrested by police, aged between 26 and 73.
The trial is ongoing and is due to last until December.