Avignon: Defendant in rape trial had folder called “abuse”

More and more shocking details are coming to light in a sensational rape trial in Avignon, France: The 71-year-old main defendant had a folder on his computer hard drive entitled “Abuse”. In this folder, the “Devil of Avignon” saved thousands of photos and videos showing other men raping his drugged wife. The investigators described in court on Wednesday how they identified these in years of research.

“Firefighter Chris,” “Motorcyclist,” and “Black David” were the names of the subfolders in which the recordings were located. The investigators identified a total of 200 rapes committed by Gisèle P. between 2011 and 2020. Most of them were committed by her husband, and in 92 cases by other men. With the help of telephone bills and facial recognition by artificial intelligence, the investigators identified a total of 74 men who had abused the woman – presumably without her knowledge.

Of the 74 suspects, 54 were initially formally identified and were then arrested by investigators in several waves. One has since died, and the charges against two others have been dropped.

According to experts, the accused act out their fantasies of omnipotence on the unconscious woman

Now, in addition to the main defendant, 50 other men must stand trial and risk prison sentences of up to 20 years. They are between 26 and 74 years old and, according to psychological experts, acted out fantasies of omnipotence when they raped the unconscious woman.

The investigators stressed in court that the men only came into the house when the woman was already drugged. This contradicts the statements of some of the accused, who stated during their interrogation that it was merely erotic games between a sexually unconventional couple.

The case came to light after Dominique P. came under the spotlight for filming women up their skirts in a shopping center. During searches, investigators came across numerous photos and videos that showed his apparently unconscious wife being abused by other men.

Husband offered his wife for rape on the Internet

The accused had openly offered to rape his wife Gisèle P. in internet forums. “You are like me, you like the rape mode,” he wrote to one of the interested men. Others explained that this way he could engage in sexual practices that his wife would otherwise deny him.

Dominique P. did not demand any money from the men, but took photos and videos of the files and also participated in the rapes, which his wife has no memory of.

The trial against him and 50 co-defendants began on Monday in Avignon and is scheduled to last until December 20. Two sons and the daughter of the couple, who have been in the process of divorcing since the incidents became known, are also appearing as co-plaintiffs. The previous day, the daughter had left the courtroom crying when the presiding judge explained that Dominique P. had also saved nude photos of his own daughter.

The defendants must answer for charges including sexual abuse of people who are unable to resist. The trial has revived the debate in France about how to deal with rapes after the administration of so-called knock-out drops – which are often difficult to prove.