Mazan rape case: interrogation of Dominique Pélicot, testimony of his victim… what are the upcoming highlights of the trial ?

Une manifestation ce lundi matin devant le palais de justice d'Avignon. MIDI LIBRE – François Barrère

This septuagenarian who delivered his unconscious wife to several dozen men who came to rape her at night at their marital home in this village in Vaucluse has been on trial since Monday, September 2, at the same time as fifty other accused for aggravated rape before the criminal court of Vaucluse. Verdict expected in mid-December.

Opened this Monday, September 2, before the Vaucluse Criminal Court in Avignon, the lengthy trial of the Dominique Pélicot case, scheduled to last until mid-December, will see several highlights in the coming days, after a set-up devoted to procedural and calendar issues.

This Tuesday, September 3, most of the day should be devoted to reading the indictment order, a 369-page document written by the two judges who investigated the case, and which summarizes and details the evidence against each of the 51 accused in this trial out of the ordinary.

The police will come to tell their investigation on Wednesday

From Wednesday, the five professional judges, the public and the press will dive into the heart of the investigation, with the testimony of the police officers of the SRPJ of Avignon and Montpellier who led these extraordinary investigations.

Another highlight of the trial: starting this Thursday morning, September 5, the testimony of Gisèle Pélicot, 71, the ex-wife of the main accused, who discovered at the time of her arrest that she had been handed over unconscious to about sixty men, eleven of whom have not been identified.

Gisèle Pélicot, the victim, will take the stand on Thursday

She vigorously opposed, through her lawyers Me Antoine Camus and Me Stéphan Babonneau, that the hearing be held behind closed doors. “She wants to express herself and will take the time to do so”explained the latter at midday. The other members of the family, including their children, also civil parties, should also speak on Friday, where toxicology experts will also come to testify on the effect of the medication that the victim ingested without her knowledge.

Dominique Pélicot questioned from Monday

From Monday September 9, the criminal court will delve into the personality of the main accused, through the depositions of the psychological and psychiatric experts. Dominique Pélicot will be questioned about the facts on Tuesday, September 10 in the morning.

The criminal court must then examine, from September 10 to 13, the personality and actions of other defendants, including Jean-Pierre Maréchal, a father of six children, still in detention, who himself put his wife to sleep, on the recommendations of Dominique Pélicot, so that the latter could come and commit rapes and sexual assaults on her body.

Three other defendants, who appear free, will in turn be questioned, before a new group of defendants takes the stand, starting on September 16.

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