Witnesses testify defendant ‘fully aware’ he was assaulting Gisele Pelicot

Husamettin Dogan is the lone suspect to entreaty his condemnation for assaulting Pelicot, a French pistillate whose lawsuit drew planetary attention.

Witnesses person testified that suspect Husamettin Dogan was “fully aware” that Gisele Pelicot was dormant portion helium was assaulting her, arsenic his entreaty unfolds successful a French tribunal successful the confederate metropolis of Nimes.

Dogan, a 44-year-old operation worker, was one of 50 men convicted of sexually abusing Pelicot successful a landmark lawsuit past December.

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But helium has since sought to overturn his conviction, claiming helium was not a “rapist” and insisting helium thought helium was participating successful a consensual intersexual activity.

He is the lone suspect from that lawsuit to appeal. He has been sentenced to 9 years successful prison, little than the 12 years initially sought by prosecutors.

Tuesday marked the 2nd time of his appeal, and prosecutors presented grounds to contradict his claims.

Witnesses included Pelicot’s ex-husband Dominique Pelicot, who antecedently received a situation word of 20 years, the maximum sentence, for orchestrating the assaults successful the erstwhile couple’s location successful Mazan.

During proceedings past year, Dominique Pelicot admitted that, for much than a decade, helium drugged his then-wife of 50 years truthful that helium and strangers helium recruited online could maltreatment her. He besides filmed the assaults, which included astatine slightest 50 men.

In Tuesday’s hearing, helium denied ever coercing oregon misleading Dogan. “I ne'er forced anyone,” helium said. “They ne'er needed me.”

He besides refuted Dogan’s assertion that his invitation was to enactment successful a intersexual game. “I ne'er said that,” helium said.

“I person nary involvement successful speaking sick of anyone, but to archer the truth,” Dominique Pelicot added.

Dogan visited the couple’s location connected June 28, 2019, wherever helium is accused of assaulting Gisele Pelicot for much than 3 hours. Dogan, however, has said helium lone realised that thing was incorrect erstwhile helium heard the pistillate snoring.

Investigator Jeremie Bosse-Platiere besides testified connected Tuesday. He cited video footage of Gisele Pelicot’s battle to asseverate that Dogan was afloat alert Gisele had not consented.

“Anyone who sees the videos understands this immediately,” Bosse-Platiere said.

The constabulary commissioner described a video successful which Gisele Pelicot was seen moving slightly, causing Dogan to instantly withdraw.

“We recognize that helium is disquieted that his unfortunate mightiness aftermath up and freezes successful a waiting position,” said Bosse-Platiere.

“After 30 seconds, seeing that it was a reflex caused by symptom oregon discomfort, helium reintroduces his penis into her vagina.”

Investigators recovered a full of 107 photos and 14 videos from the nighttime Dogan visited the couple’s location successful the confederate municipality of Mazan.

Gisele Pelicot herself is acceptable to instrumentality the basal connected Wednesday morning, with the verdict expected aboriginal that time oregon Thursday.

Her determination to waive her close to anonymity during the archetypal proceedings was celebrated arsenic a bold determination for transparency, raising consciousness astir the prevalence of intersexual battle and home unit successful France and astir the world.

She besides attended the proceedings successful idiosyncratic and faced her abusers successful court. She was named a knight of the Legion of Honour, France’s apical civic honour, successful July.

Her lawsuit has resulted successful greater momentum to betterment France’s laws astir rape and intersexual assault.

Lawmakers successful France’s National Assembly and Senate person pushed for an update to the explanation of rape nether the country’s penal code, successful bid to see a wide notation to the request for consent. A last measure is expected to walk successful the coming months.