"Like sleeping with a corpse": New details from horror trial in Avignon

Avignon (France) - The marathon trial surrounding French woman Gisèle Pélicot (72) , who was raped dozens of times , continues. This time the focus is on Mohamed R. (70). His statements were disturbing.

Gisèle Pélicot (72) looked her cleaners in the eye in the courtroom. The Frenchwoman showed strength.
Gisèle Pélicot (72) looked her cleaners in the eye in the courtroom. The Frenchwoman showed strength.  © Christophe SIMON / AFP

The pensioner is one of seven men who have had to appear before a judge in Avignon since yesterday, Monday.

As reported by BFM TV, Mohamed R. raped Gisèle Pélicot, who had previously been drugged by her own husband, on the night of 7 May 2019. The memories of the crime are disturbing.

"It was like sleeping with a corpse," says the pensioner, who claims to have felt like an actor during the incident. A 37-minute video is to be presented to the court as evidence.

Like other defendants before him, the now 70-year-old admitted that the sexual intercourse with Gisèle Pélicot was not consensual.

Gisèle Pélicot raped by fathers, husbands and people with criminal records

A court sketch artist captured the main defendant Dominique Pélicot (71, center) on paper during a trial. His victim Gisèle, his own wife, is sitting in the foreground.
A court sketch artist captured the main defendant Dominique Pélicot (71, center) on paper during a trial. His victim Gisèle, his own wife, is sitting in the foreground.  © Benoit PEYRUCQ / AFP

Mohamed R. does not see himself as a rapist despite the heinous act. He referred to an agreement with Pélicot's husband Dominique (71).

He had offered his wife to dozens of men for sex for more than a decade. His disgusting acts earned him the nickname "Devil of Avignon".

An explosive aspect of the Mohamed R. case: the 70-year-old had already served five years in prison in his life. In 1999, R. was convicted of raping his then 14-year-old daughter. Today, the pensioner claims to be a victim of the justice system, describing himself as "psychologically damaged" due to his childhood experiences.

Six other accused men aged between 36 and 54 are due to give evidence in court by Friday. According to C News, they include a married ex-soldier, a plumber and father of three children, a trucker and an unemployed man convicted of domestic violence and theft.