Some 51 men—including Gisele Pelicot's then-husband—are accused of raping the Frenchwoman while she was in a drugged and unconscious state. Jean-Pierre Marechal, who testified in court Wednesday, is the only person embroiled in the case who is not accused of raping the 71-year-old, reports CBS News. Rather, he is accused of raping or trying to rape his own unconscious wife Cilia a dozen times after having allegedly learned how to do so from Dominique Pelicot, who Marechal says supplied him with the necessary tranquilizers.
Marechal was unequivocal about his guilt: "I'm in jail and I deserve it. What I did is appalling. I'm a criminal and a rapist. ... I want a tough punishment." Marechal says the two men met online, with Dominique Pelicot sharing images of his wife being assaulted; the two lived 30 minutes from each other. "If I had not met Mr. Pelicot, I would have never committed this act. He was reassuring, like a cousin," said Marechal. Dominique Pelicot allegedly took part in 10 of the assaults on Marechal's wife, with prosecutors saying he appears in recordings of three of them; he reportedly broke off contact with Marechal when Cilia woke up while he was present.
Marechal told the court that he had a painful childhood followed by a good marriage. "My childhood was all shame, alcohol, sex and a lot of silence," he said. "We experienced terrible things from my father, sexual abuse. My mother tried to protect us but she drank." As for his wife, they had a "happy life," he said. (More Dominique Pelicot stories.)
,
uBlock 
,
and
Ghostery 
)
