Dominique Pélicot is on trial in France, accused of drugging and filming his then wife, Gisèle, while strangers, recruited through a now-defunct chatroom called Against Her Knowledge, raped her. Fifty other men aged between 26 and 74 are also on trial for their alleged involvement. Detectives were unable to identify and trace more than 30 other men who were recorded.
The 71-year-old former electrician, whom illness may prevent appearing in court this week, has been called “the Monster of Avignon”; as yet, there is no sobriquet for the many locals who reportedly visited the house in the village of Mazan, including a fireman, a nurse and a journalist – “ordinary men”.
