Associate of Frenchman in mass rape trial admits to copycat abuse on his own wife

NEWS WIRES

18 September 2024 at 8:01 am·1-min read

An associate of Dominique Pelicot, the Frenchman man who drugged his wife and invited dozens of men to rape her in a case that has shocked France and the world, told a court that he committed similar crimes against his own wife under Pelicot's influence. Jean-Pierre Marechal met Pelicot on a website where they shared information about drugging and assulting their spouses. Police say Pelicot was among the men who Marechal invited to assault his wife.

An associate of Frenchman Dominique Pelicot, who for a nearly a decade drugged his wife and invited dozens of men to rape her, admitted to copycat abuse of his own partner on Wednesday, blaming his mentor and a troubled childhood.

Police have said Jean-Pierre Marechal, 63, worked with Pelicot to drug and both rape Marechal's wife Cilia after meeting on a now-shuttered website.

The trial of Pelicot and 50 other men accused of raping his wife has shocked the world. It has also triggered protests across France in support of Gisele Pelicot, who has become a symbol of the fight against sexual violence.

Wednesday began with more disturbing testimony, as Marechal described how he and his sisters suffered sexual abuse at the hands of his father.

(Reuters)

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