Rape case in France Dominique Pélicot calls in sick for the abuse trial

A pensioner in France is alleged to have drugged his wife and had her abused by strangers. The man has now failed to appear at his first hearing due to illness.

In the trial for the mass abuse of an anaesthetized woman in France, the main accused husband has fallen ill. The 72-year-old was unable to appear in court in Avignon for his first hearing due to his state of health, the court announced. The presiding judge had ordered a medical report. The trial may be interrupted for a few days as the wife and her children do not want to testify in the absence of the accused father.

The husband is said to have repeatedly drugged the wife, who has since divorced him, over a period of almost ten years. The woman is then alleged to have been raped by strangers in front of him. The 50 accused alleged perpetrators and the husband face up to 20 years in prison for the abuse.

The accused are men who were between 21 and 68 years old at the time of the crime and for the most part have had nothing to do with the justice system.

The alleged abuse only came to light when the pensioner was arrested after being filmed under the skirts of female supermarket customers. During a search, investigators discovered hundreds of videos of the acts on the man's computer. In court, the woman spoke of a "barbaric scene". The 71-year-old insisted that the trial should take place in public and serve as a warning example for women who are drugged and then abused.

dpa