Frenchman: Pelicot Tutored Me in His Criminal Ways

Jean-Pierre Marechal is accused of drugging, raping his own wife, allegedly with Pelicot's help
By Newser Editors,  Newser Staff
Posted Sep 18, 2024 2:50 PM CDT
Frenchman: Pelicot Tutored Me in His Criminal Ways
This courtroom sketch by Valentin Pasquier shows Gisele Pelicot, left, and her ex-husband Dominique Pelicot, right, during his trial, at the Avignon court house, in Avignon, southern France, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024.   (AP Photo/Valentin Pasquier)

Some 51 men—including Gisele Pelicot's then-husband—are accused of raping the Frenchwoman while she was in a drugged and unconscious state. Jean-Pierre Marechal, who testified in court Wednesday, is the only person embroiled in the case who is not accused of raping the 71-year-old, reports CBS News. Rather, he is accused of raping or trying to rape his own unconscious wife Cilia a dozen times after having allegedly learned how to do so from Dominique Pelicot, who Marechal says supplied him with the necessary tranquilizers.

Marechal was unequivocal about his guilt: "I'm in jail and I deserve it. What I did is appalling. I'm a criminal and a rapist. ... I want a tough punishment." Marechal says the two men met online, with Dominique Pelicot sharing images of his wife being assaulted; the two lived 30 minutes from each other. "If I had not met Mr. Pelicot, I would have never committed this act. He was reassuring, like a cousin," said Marechal. Dominique Pelicot allegedly took part in 10 of the assaults on Marechal's wife, with prosecutors saying he appears in recordings of three of them; he reportedly broke off contact with Marechal when Cilia woke up while he was present.

Marechal told the court that he had a painful childhood followed by a good marriage. "My childhood was all shame, alcohol, sex and a lot of silence," he said. "We experienced terrible things from my father, sexual abuse. My mother tried to protect us but she drank." As for his wife, they had a "happy life," he said. (More Dominique Pelicot stories.)

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