An accomplice of the Monster of Avignon was found to have a haul of hundreds of child sex and animal abuse images after he was arrested for his part in the rape case that has shocked France, it has emerged.
Thierry Postat is among 51 men charged with the aggravated rape of a woman who was drugged by her husband and then abused by men that he invited to their home in a picturesque village in Provence.
Dominique Pelicot has admitted his part in the mass rape of his wife Gisele who he drugged by putting powerful sedatives in her evening meal and rose wine to render her unconscious for the abuse that followed.
Postat and most of the other defendants have denied raping Madame Pelicot, claiming they believed they were taking part in a sex game in which she pretended to be asleep.
However, this morning it emerged that Postat, 61, a heating engineer, had more than 650 child pornography photos and 419 videos of child sex and bestiality on his lap-top computer.
Thierry Postat (right) is among 51 men charged with the aggravated rape of a woman who was drugged by her husband and then abused by men that he invited to their home in a picturesque village in Provence
Dominique Pelicot (pictured) has admitted his part in the mass rape of his wife Gisele who he drugged by putting powerful sedatives in her evening meal.Â
Postat (right, wearing grey) and most of the other defendants have denied raping Madame Pelicot, claiming they believed they were taking part in a sex game in which she pretended to be asleep
Postat’s visit to the Pelicot’s home and the rape of his wife Gisele (pictured) in August 2020 was catalogued under the name ‘Thierry’
Postat, a grandfather, will take the stand this week to give evidence about his role in the Monster of Avignon trial, which the main defendant Pelicot’s own daughter has described as France’s worst sex case for the past 20 years.
But this morning court psychologist Annabelle Montagne told the trial that the 61-year-old was a paedophile.
Madame Montagne told the court: ‘Paedophilia is one of Postat’s perversions, the sexual object being a child. Bestiality is another.Â
‘There are many different parts to his sexuality.’
Postat was detained in September 2021 as part of the huge police investigation to track down Pelicot’s accomplices following his arrest a year earlier when he was caught taking pictures up women’s skirts in his local supermarket.
Following a search of Pelicot’s home in the village of Mazan, detectives found 20,000 images and films of the system rape his wife by strangers.
They spent months tracking down his accomplices, using the images Pelicot had taken and the notes he had made about his accomplices, on a computer file entitled ‘abuse’.
Postat’s visit to the Pelicot’s home and the rape of his wife Gisele in August 2020 was catalogued under the name ‘Thierry’.
Dominique Pelicot, who has allegedly drugged and raped his wife Gisele Pelicot, appears during his trial on September 17 (right)
Abuse took place in the town of Mazan, south of France, and was only uncovered after the man was caught up-skirting women in a local supermarket, prompting officers to search his home
During questioning Postat denied rape and maintained he had taken part in a ‘sex game’ to which Madame Pelicot was a willing participant.
A search of his ASUS laptop revealed a haul of child pornography and bestiality.
The court record stated: ‘Thierry Postat was charged on 28th September 2021 [for the aggravated rape of Gisele Pelicot].
‘A search was carried out of his home which discovered one mobile phone and two laptop computers.’
During the search, sex toys and bondage equipment was found. Â
‘A technical examination of a computer file showed it contained 656 paedophile pornographic photos, 419 videos of paedophilia as well as videos of urination and bestiality,’ the court added.
In September 2022 Postat was also charged with possession of child sex images.
Gisele Pelicot, who only discovered the abuse in 2020 after being told of it by police, was given a round of applause by members of the public when she arrived in court this morning.
The 71-year-old grandmother have waived her right to anonymity to raise aware about the use of drugs to commit sexual abuse against women.
Gisele Pelicot, who has allegedly been drugged and raped by men solicited by her husband Dominique Pelicot at their home in the southern French town of Mazan, is seen during the trial of her husband with 50 co-accused, at the courthouse in Avignon, France, October 1, 2024
Dominique Pelicot appears during his trial with 50 co-accused at the courthouse in Avignon, France, September 17, 2024Â
Madame Pelicot stared unblinkingly across the courtroom as her husband of 50 years took his seat in the dock this morning.
The 71-year-old retired electrician was not in court yesterday because he underwent an operation in hospital linked to infections in his liver and bladder.
Appearing frail and walking slowly Pelicot held his head in his hands, stroked the bridge of his nose and held his chin as proceedings got underway.
Pelicot and his co-defendants face up to 20 years in jail if convicted of aggravated rape.
The case continues.