Gisèle Pelicot arrives to give evidence at French mass rape trial

Gisèle Pelicot, the French woman whose now ex-husband is on trial for drugging and raping her, and inviting dozens of other men to rape her, is taking the stand in court for the first time.

It follows a request from her legal team that the 72-year-old be given the chance to respond to the evidence and testimony that have been shared so far at the trial.

She said that over the last few weeks she had witnessed various wives, mothers and sisters of the defendants take the stand and say that the accused were “exceptional men”.

“That’s just like who I had back home,” she added. “But a rapist is not just someone you meet in a dark car park late at night. He can also be found in the family, among friends.”

Dominique Pelicot, her ex-husband, has admitted to recruiting men online to rape his wife while she was under the effect of heavy sedatives and sleeping pills that he administered to her in secret for a decade. Most of the alleged rapes were filmed.

The majority of the defendants deny raping Gisèle, and argue that they cannot be guilty because they did not realise she was unconscious and therefore did not “know” they were raping her.