Judge rules public can view French mass rape trial video evidence

Warning: This story accommodates distressing particulars from the beginning.

A French decide has reversed a ruling within the trial of a person who’s accused of drugging his spouse to sleep and recruiting dozens of males to abuse her for over a decade.

The attorneys of the sufferer, 72-year-old grandmother Gisèle Pelicot, appealed in opposition to an earlier choice to solely present video of the crimes to attorneys and the jury.

They argued the crimes needs to be proven to the general public to attract consideration to using medication to commit sexual abuse. Ms Pelicot hailed the decide’s newest ruling as a “victory”.

The accused, 71-year-old Dominique Pelicot, admitted to all fees in opposition to him in his first testimony after the trial opened final month.

Earlier than the photographs are screened there will likely be an announcement within the courtroom “permitting individuals of a delicate disposition and minors to depart”, the decide stated.

He added that the video proof screened will “not be systematic” and can solely be proven when it’s “strictly crucial for exposing the reality” on the request of one of many events.

The decide final month banned the broadcasting of such footage to the general public and press on the grounds that the photographs had been “surprising and indecent”.

Nonetheless, he has now lifted the restrictions following calls from Ms Pelicot’s attorneys for the trial to be open to the general public.

“If these similar hearings, via their publicity, assist forestall different girls from having to undergo this, then she’s going to discover which means in her struggling,” one in all Ms Pelicot’s attorneys, Stéphane Babonneau, stated.

Mr Babonneau referred to as the ruling “a victory in a struggle that ought to not have been fought”, including that rape victims had for many years in French legislation had the suitable to determine whether or not proceedings needs to be public.

The screening of video proof was strongly opposed by some attorneys for the 50 co-defendants who’re accused of raping Mr Pelicot’s now ex-wife.

“Justice doesn’t want that in an effort to proceed, what’s the level of those revolting screenings?” stated lawyer Olivier Lantelme.

The French public have been shocked by the variety of males concerned within the case.

Police had been solely in a position to establish 50 suspects out of the 83 that appeared in Dominique Pelicot’s movies.

Their ages vary from 26 to 68 they usually hail from all walks of life – firefighters, pharmacists, labourers and journalists. Many are fathers and husbands.

Of the opposite males accused, 15 admit rape, however all of the others admit solely to participating in sexual acts.