For the second week in a row, Dominique Pelicot was unable, for health reasons, to testify today at the criminal court of Vaucluse – in Avignon, France.
Pelicot is accused by his ex-wife Gisele, who has now become the embodiment of victims of sexual violence in France, of drugging and raping her for a decade along with dozens of strangers he recruited online. In addition to her ex-husband, 50 other men, aged between 26 and 74, are being prosecuted for rape and could face up to 20 years in prison if convicted.
“We will adjourn for today and resume tomorrow morning,” said the president of the criminal court, Roger Arata, who ordered a new medical report from “a panel of experts.”
The accused underwent a CT scan on Sunday and is suffering from “kidney stone, kidney infection and prostate problem”according to Arata.
For their part, Gisele’s lawyers called the situation “unusual”, noting that all measures should have been taken so that the accused would be in a condition to testify.
Meanwhile tens of thousands of people demonstrated in Paris and other French cities yesterday to show their support for Gisele, who thanked protesters on Monday on the sidelines of the trial: “Thanks to all of you, I have the strength to fight this fight to the end“, he declared, dedicating him “to all people, women and men, all over the world, who are victims of sexual violence.”
#France #Pelicot #testify #cites #health #reasons
