Gisele Perico received thunderous applause as she emerged from a French courtroom following the trial of her husband and 50 other defendants. The 72-year-old is the victim of a heinous crime in which her husband allegedly gave her sleeping pills and anti-anxiety drugs, recruited strangers through online platforms to rape her.
What is shown in the video?
“Dozens of supporters applauded Gisele Perico, a French woman whose ex-husband is accused of hiring strangers to sexually assault and abuse her while he was drugged, as she left a court in Avignon,” Reuters reported, posting the video.
“Mr. Périco’s trial, the centrepiece of one of the most spectacular criminal trials in recent French history, had to be postponed last week due to his ill health,” the media added.
Watch the video here:
Social media reactions:
“Her courage shows how strong women can be and how we can hold men accountable for their actions towards our bodies,” commented an Instagram user.
Reacting to the video, another person wrote: “Such a brave woman. I hope we can do more to help her overcome this nightmare. Justice must be served against the perpetrators who attacked her.”
A third added: “She is truly a warrior and will help so many with her bravery. I hope she knows that women all over the world are on her side.”
“Such an amazing woman. I hope she can rebuild her life and move on from this awful trauma,” a fourth wrote.
“I am a rapist”: Dominic Perico
A 71-year-old French man is on trial accused of drugging his wife, inviting a stranger into his home and raping her while she was unconscious. The man has admitted to the charges and claims to be the rapist.
“I am a rapist just like everyone else in this room,” Dominique said in court, looking at the 50 other defendants, The Guardian reported. “I knew them all,” he added, referring to the others.
“I am guilty of what I did,” he told the court, “and I say to my wife, children and grandchildren … I regret what I did and I ask for forgiveness even though it is unforgivable.”
A Decade of Terror
Dominic reportedly continued this heinous crime against his estranged wife for nearly a decade, and Gisele, who had no idea about the assault at the time, was also reportedly suffering from serious health problems, including sexually transmitted diseases.
The Frenchman’s crimes came to light in 2020 when he was arrested for taking photos up women’s skirts. During the investigation, police found evidence of rape on his laptop and eventually informed his wife. Nude photos of his daughter were also reportedly found on his device.