A 71-year-old French man, identified as Dominique P, has been trialed for orchestrating the repeated drugging and rape of his wife over a period of more than a decade.
The trial began in Avignon, southern France, on Monday as Dominique P was accused of sedating his wife with powerful tranquilizers and then inviting strangers, whom he recruited online, to his home to rape her while she was unconscious.
The abuse is alleged to have started in 2011 and continued until 2020 when the woman, now 72, learned of the horrific crimes only after being informed by police.
The investigation began after Dominique P was caught secretly filming under the skirts of women in a shopping center in September 2020.
Police then discovered hundreds of images and videos on his computer showing his unconscious wife being assaulted by multiple men.
In total, police identified at least 92 rapes committed by 72 men, with 50 of them charged and standing trial alongside Dominique P.
The accused men, ranging in age from 26 to 74, claimed they were participating in what they believed were consensual fantasies orchestrated by the couple.
However, Dominique P admitted to drugging his wife without her knowledge and acknowledged that everyone involved was aware of her incapacitated state.
This trial marks the first time the victim will be confronted with the video evidence of her abuse, a situation her lawyer, Antoine Camus, described as “a horrible ordeal.”