It’s a lot of people, 50 defendants in a small courtroom. On Tuesday, November 19, the last day of proceedings before the closing arguments and the indictment, all the defendants were reconvened. The majority were White, but there were also North Africans and three were Black. Some tall, some thin, some medium, some puny, some paunchy, many paunchy, some obese. Baldness, lots of it. Lots of ponytails, some lacking and others lush. Well-groomed beards, others not. Shaved heads, white hair, graying hair, shiny hair, black hair, colored hair. Piercings, tattoos. Two pairs of crutches, one pair of espadrilles. And on the stand, one last defendant.
Mechanically, we took notes: Philippe L., 62 years old. He posted the ad “looking for a naughty woman” on Coco.fr and was contacted by Dominique Pelicot. He went to the southeastern town of Mazan, where the Pelicots lived, on June 7, 2018. We listened to the 50th answer to the same question from the presiding judge: “Do you admit to the charges of rape of which you are accused?” “No” “Was Gisèle Pelicot in a position to give you her consent?” “No.” We wrote down the last defendant’s explanations. “It seemed odd to me, and then I didn’t look any further. (…) He [Dominique Pelicot] told me to do this, he told me to do that, I did it.” And also: “I lost the connection with my brain.” And finally: “I apologize for having unwittingly participated in Ms Pelicot’s suffering.” The rape trial was emerging from the tunnel of questioning it had entered two months earlier. It was over.
Usually, this is the moment when you feel like emptying your notebooks; like recounting the forgotten scene. The unexpected witness, the giggle, the sparkling dialogue, the joyous moment, the escape. To share the memory of a mother’s emotion, the whimsy of an answer, the light of a glance. In short, all those things that make up the richness of a long trial.
In our notebooks filled with the hearings of this trial in Avignon, there are: “cock in mouth,” “ass eating,” “Jacques fingering,” “magnificent close up from behind,” “well filled,” “it goes in all by itself,” “well frisked and well fucked,” “fucked on the back 2,” “3rd anal,” “squirt on the ass.” These are the titles of the videos recorded by Dominique Pelicot, which presiding judge Roger Arata eventually stopped saying when he began playing them. What do we do with these?
These were the images we had to watch on the three large screens. Dominique Pelicot and his guests taking advantage of the inert body of a sedated woman. Him again, filming with his right hand and holding out a paper towel with his left to the man who had just ejaculated. Other men masturbating because they can’t get it up. What do we do with these?
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