The mayor of the French village where the Monster of Avignon encouraged dozens of strangers to rape his unconscious wife has quit following an outcry after he tried to play-down the sex case that has shocked France.
Louis Bonnet last night announced he was ‘leaving public life’ and would stop representing Mazan in the rolling hills of Provence by November 11 ‘at the latest’.
Bonnet, 74, sparked outrage with his comments about the systemic rape of resident Gisele Pelicot by her more than 50 men that her husband Dominique had invited into their home over ten years, claiming ‘it could have been worse’.
In a number of interviews – including with MailOnline – earlier this month, the retired businessman claimed that the abuse and betrayal suffered by Madame Pelicot ‘could have been worse’.
Bonnet said: ‘It could have been far more serious.
The mayor of the French village of Mazan where the Monster of Avignon encouraged dozens of strangers to rape his unconscious wife has quit after receiving death threats
Gisele Pelicot, 71, arrived yesterday at the Palais de Justice, Avignon France for the trial of her ex-husband Dominic Pelicot
Dominique Pélicot is accused of recruiting men online to assault his wife repeatedly over 10 years
‘There were no children involved.
‘After all, no one died.
‘It would have been a lot worse if he [Dominique Pelicot] had killed his wife.
‘But that’s not what happened in this case.’
Speaking to MailOnline in the week that Pelicot and 50 accomplices went on trial for rape in nearby Avignon, the mayor claimed no one had any idea of the horrors that took place in this quiet community that is surrounded by vineyards.
Bonnet said he often came across the serial rapist as he played boules in the square in front of his town hall office.
Bonnet is now under the protection of police officers in the south of France, at an unknown address far away from Mazan, where he was elected Mayor in 2020.
‘I’ve been threatened, I’ve been insulted,’ he said on Friday.Â
‘The last thing I had to file a complaint about was someone asking the town hall for my address so that they could raid my home with a gang.’
Bonnet said he had also been receiving threats on social media, and by phone, since speaking to the BBC early this month.
He originally claimed to have received ‘a lot of emails and messages from Mazanais’ – the name for people from Mazan – who supported him.
Bonnet said: ‘The bottom line is that at some point when our village is seen as a breeding ground for rapists, people have to speak out.
‘If there was a slip-up with Mr and Mrs Pelicot, it does not represent the whole village.’
Stéphane Claudon, an opposition councillor in Mazan, said Bonnet’s conduct was typical of ongoing sleaze in the town.
The Pelicot home in the village of Mazan, now known as the house of horrors
Abuse took place in the town of Mazan, south of France, where the mayor quit after receiving death threats
Dominique Pelicot, who has allegedly drugged and raped his wife Gisele Pelicot, appears during his trial with 50 co-accused at the courthouse in Avignon, France, September 17, 2024Â
‘There are too many things piling up,’ he said, pointing to the case of another elected official who was still in office, despite being found guilty of assaulting a child three years ago.
Two local police officers have also filed a legal complaint against Bonnet, saying they were illegally filmed while working in the Mayor’s office.
The courage of Gisele Pelicot, who has waived her right to anonymity to highlight the terrible abuse she suffered and has attended court every day of the trial, has been heralded by women’s rights campaigners.
She has become a hero for many rape victims and a symbol of the fight against sexual violence in France.
However Bonnets comments sparked outrage among his constituents as well as women across the country.
Mass demonstrations have been held across France in support of Madame Pelicot.
Last week Bonnet issued a public apology for his remarks.
He said: ‘I have been criticized for minimizing the seriousness of the heinous crimes of which the defendants are accused.
‘I understand that those remarks are shocking and I sincerely apologise.’
And last residents of Mazan gathered at the first town hall meeting following publication of his ill-chosen words to confront him.
But Bonnet failed to attend the public event and his assistant told the crowd he had received death threats.
The mayor later told the Vaucluse Matin local newspaper that he was retiring from public life.
Bonnet said: ‘The security services informed me that I am the subject of a number of [death] threats.
‘People want to come to my house and have been asking for my address.
‘I have made a formal complaint about a man from Normandy.
Madame Pelicot has become a hero for many rape victims and a symbol of the fight against sexual violence in France
In a separate case, Pelicot has been charged with raping and murdering a 23-year-old estate agent in Paris in 1991
‘The gendarmes are protecting me but my safety is not 100 per cent guaranteed. Neither that of my family.
‘So I prefer not to put myself in danger.’
Bonnet’s critics last night condemned his comments as ‘inhumane, reckless and ill-prepared’.
Dominique Pélicot was first arrested in September 2020 for secretely filming up women’s skirts at a supermarket in Carpentras.
His devices were searched, and there were hundreds of pornographic videos and photos of women.
It was while in custody that Pélicot reported a hard drive, hidden under a printer, which contained a file called ‘Abuses’.
There were some 3,800 photos and videos of Madame Pélicot being raped, between 2011 and 2020.
Detectives have listed a total of 92 rapes committed by 72 men, 51 of whom have been identified.
Pélicot sex ring involved advertising on a site for swinger ‘partners’ on an online forum called ‘Without Her Knowing’ on the coco.fr site.
Of the 83 men involved, 51 aged between 26 and 73 were identified and arrested by the police.
Pélicot is said to have sedated his wife by putting Temesta – a powerful anxiolytic – into her evening dinner.
Alleged rapists involved in the case include civil servants, ambulance workers, soldiers, prison guards, nurses, a municipal councillor, and truck drivers.
In a separate case, Pélicot has been charged with raping and murdering a 23-year-old estate agent in Paris in 1991.
He has admitted one attempted rape in 1999, after DNA testing proved a case against him.
The Avignon aggravated rape case is due to last until December 21.
Fourteen of the other defendants have also admitted rape, while the rest deny any wrongdoing.