Gisèle Pelicot lawyers: trial exposes ‘profound problem’ in attitudes to sexual violence

Gisèle Pelicot told the court in Avignon this week she felt ‘destroyed’ but was driven by the determination to expose ‘rape culture’. Photograph: Guillaume Horcajuelo/EPA

Taking the stand in France’s biggest ever rape trial, Patrice N, 55, an electrician from the southern town of Carpentras, said he was a “jovial” guy and a fun dad who once trained youth football teams and had a “great respect for women”.

He denied the charges of rape, claiming rape had never been his intention. “To my mind, it was a game,” he told the court.