The face of dignity: Gisele Pelicot is cheered outside mass rape trial after confronting her husband to ask 'How could you betray me?' and revealing she feared he had made men abuse her as REVENGE for her affair

Gisele Pelicot was shouted by crowds including her erstwhile play coach arsenic she near nan courthouse coming aft confronting nan Monster of Avignon for letting strangers into their chamber to rape her. 

The 71-year-old asked her hubby really he could person betrayed her and told nan tribunal she feared he was 'acting retired of revenge' for an matter she had 30 years earlier. 

Dominque Pelicot, 72, is connected proceedings successful France for drugging Gisele, 71, and allowing dozens of men to rape her successful a decade-long run of abuse. 

Gisele gave her grounds coming and arsenic she near nan Avignon courthouse she was fixed flowers by her erstwhile play teacher, Christophe Brunel. 

In an question and reply afterwards, Mr Brunel said he 'really loved her' and feels proud to see Gisele arsenic 1 of his students. 

Mrs Pelicot was asked by nan judge if her erstwhile hubby was acting retired of revenge aft she had confessed to an matter earlier successful their matrimony pinch a family friend.

She said: 'This did transverse my mind, I wondered if he was taking revenge, it was 30 years agone but we talked astir it and he had mistresses arsenic well.

'I ever told him if he had doubts astir our 3rd kid Florian, we could do a paternity test.'

At an earlier proceeding Pelicot had told nan tribunal that he would crush sleeping tablets into his wife's meals and successful peculiar 'her favourite ice-cream aliases sorbet'.

Speaking of nan outpouring of support she had received, Mrs Pelicot said: 'I've been told I americium very courageous, but it's not courage, it's will and determination, to make nine evolve.

'Courage is redeeming personification who is drowning astatine sea, I only person will and determination. That's why I travel here, but I besides person each these men and women down me, I'm coming for them.'

As she said her erstwhile hubby looked connected from a solid box, sat successful a chair resting his chin successful his hand, occasionally looking up astatine his erstwhile woman of almost 50 years.

Mrs Pelicot said she would not look astatine her hubby but would reside him arsenic Dominque.

She added: 'I americium truthful grateful that you person fixed maine nan opportunity to speak because for almost 8 weeks, I person been wounded and challenged, but I cognize I person thing to beryllium ashamed of.'

Speaking astir schematic footage and images that person been shown of her during nan proceedings she bravely said: 'I person been raped 100 times and it was difficult to make nan determination to merchandise those videos but it besides allowed america to admit nan truth.'

Mrs Pelicot added: 'So galore times I said to myself really fortunate I was to person you erstwhile we went to nan infirmary because I was unwell (as a consequence him drugging her).

'He took maine to nan gynaecologist; I trusted him entirely. How tin nan perfect man person gone to this? How could you person betrayed me? How could you person brought strangers into our bedroom.'

Describing nan immense betrayal, she said: 'Even our friends appreciated him, we shared holidays, birthdays pinch them, Christmas each that for maine was happiness but now aft 4 years of preparing for this trial, I still haven't understood why.

'We had 50 years of happy life together, I was a happy woman, fulfilled, I had 3 children and 7 grandchildren, he was a caring father, a bully listener, a benignant man who I trusted completely, this is difficult, we shared laughter and sorrow.'

Mrs Pelicot continued her affectional grounds and added: 'Today, successful this tribunal I still don't understand really this cleanable gentleman, could person ended up for illustration this, really my life was turned upside down.

'How could you deny maine to this extent? How could you fto group travel into our bedroom? This betrayal is immeasurable. I thought I would extremity my days pinch this man.'

As she said her hubby looked down astatine his shoes, hardly bringing himself to look astatine his ex woman arsenic she gave a sadistic explanation of him.

When asked by nan judge if she had immoderate position connected nan family members of nan accused who had testified earlier, she said: 'I've watched these women, these mothers, these sisters, these wives, talking of really their son, brother, hubby is an exceptional man.

'I had nan aforesaid astatine my location but a rapist is not nan man you meet successful a car parkland precocious astatine night, he tin besides beryllium 1 of your family, 1 of your friends.'

She went on: 'I don't understand really it sewage to this, I'm going to show him, I ever tried to push you towards nan ray but you chose nan depths of nan quality soul, you chose it.'

Speaking of 1 of her attackers she said: 'One man's mother came, she was 54 years old, I don't retrieve his sanction of the, but successful effect he came to rape his grandmother.

'I americium wholly destroyed by this, really americium I going to rebuild myself?'

Mrs Pelicot added that she had decided to attest truthful she could 'speak for each victims'.

She added: 'I want them to opportunity Madame Pelicot did it, truthful we tin do it. I don't want them to beryllium ashamed anymore, we are not nan ones who should beryllium ashamed, it's their shame.'

Judge Arata besides asked her really she thought nan rapes were 'prepared' and she replied: 'He would navigator a batch of meals.

'One time he came to prime maine up from Avignon position astatine astir 4pm, we sewage location and he had already prepared dinner.

'We had mashed potato, which I love, and it was seasoned pinch oliva lipid for maine and food for him.

'Then he would watch shot and astatine half clip he would bring maine ice-cream aliases sorbet, raspberry, my favourite and I would deliberation really fortunate I was to person him.

'But I didn't consciousness anything, I would aftermath up successful nan greeting pinch my pyjamas on. He could person put nan narcotics successful them aliases successful my java aliases my orangish juice.'

Her grounds comes aft it was revealed that a rapist who abused unconscious Gisele sewage his partner to driblet him disconnected and hold successful nan car while he engaged successful nan sordid activity act.

Abdelali Dallal, 47, has admitted 2 counts of rape committed successful January and March 2018 and he is 1 of 50 men who are presently testifying successful nan lawsuit that has made headlines astir nan world.

Dallal, head of a glazing patient company, has told investigators he met Pelicot online while surfing a swingers website called Coco.fr which has since closed, and he had been invited location by him to slumber pinch his wife.

Speaking earlier him, Dallal's erstwhile partner told nan tribunal successful Avignon really she had driven him to nan Pelicot location successful nan adjacent picturesque colony of Mazan but she said she hadn't asked him why he was there.

It comes arsenic Mrs Pelicot was greeted pinch lukewarm applause arsenic she arrived astatine tribunal this greeting to springiness her verdict connected nan grounds heard truthful acold successful nan ongoing proceedings of her husband.

Dallal's erstwhile partner told nan tribunal astir dropping him off: 'When we arrived, I waited successful nan car, it was nighttime and I don't retrieve really agelong we were there. 

'He told maine not to parkland straight extracurricular nan location but a small further away, I didn't inquire him why we were location aliases what he was doing there, I didn't want to know.'

Dallal was later arrested aft being recognised by nan partner of different suspect who had been questioned astir nan lawsuit while she was shown photos of nan accused recovered from devices Pelicot kept.

At first Dallal denied it was him insisting it 'must beryllium a double' earlier later confessing it was him and astatine nan commencement of nan proceedings past period he admitted nan 2 rapes he is accused of.

During questioning he told constabulary he had since suffered a changeable and was 80 per cent abnormal and added he was 'stupid' to return to nan location arsenic he knew he 'was doing thing stupid', he said. 

Large crowds had gathered extracurricular tribunal this greeting for nan proceeding which comes astatine nan midway constituent of a lawsuit that has made headlines astir nan world for its sordid nature.

Dressed arsenic elegantly arsenic ever Mrs Pelicot nodded to supporters and thanked 1 who gave her a bully luck paper arsenic she made her measurement done nan crowds to nan courtroom.

Mrs Pelicot will beryllium asked by proceedings judge Roger Arata for her views connected nan grounds heard truthful acold and it comes arsenic nan latest batch of nan 50 accused are grilled.

Due to attest this week is Quentin Hennebert, 34, a situation defender who was moving astatine nan aforesaid clip Pelicot was being held successful custody astatine Pontet jail, pursuing his apprehension successful 2020 for upskirting women successful a supermarket.

Hennebert is accused of raping Mrs Pelicot successful November 2019 and has besides pleaded blameworthy to nan charge.

Four different men will besides attest and they person been named arsenic begetter of 4 Jean Luc La, 46, transportation driver Florin Rocca, 32, electrician Patrice Nicolle, 55, and Gregory Serviol, 31.

Mother-of-three Mrs Pelicot, has bravely waived her correct to anonymity to unmask nan alleged perpetrators.

The proceedings began almost 8 weeks agone and has already heard from 30 men pinch astir denying rape claiming they thought they were taking portion successful a domiciled playing crippled pinch a swinging couple, galore said that arsenic Pelicot was coming 'consent' had been given.

The accused look a maximum of 20 years successful situation if convicted and are aged betwixt 26 and 74 and travel from each walks of life including a journalist, soldier, section councillor, carpenter and fireman.

When fixed a little opportunity to speak past period Mrs Pelicot said she felt 'humiliated' astatine having been labelled an 'alcoholic and conspirator' during nan first portion of nan hearing.

Since nan proceedings started, French group person travel retired to support her successful their droves, pinch galore organising protests up and down nan country, nan latest being held past weekend.

One was held successful Mazan, wherever astir of nan attacks took place, pinch hundreds marching done nan sleepy Provence municipality to show their support of her.

The proceedings successful Avignon has heard man aft man declare that Pelicot had 'tricked' them into taking portion successful his twisted fantasies of nan rape and humiliation of his woman - galore of which were filmed.

Last month, Pelicot stood successful nan dock and admitted his guilt - and accused each his co-defendants of each having been consenting conspirators.

He told nan court: 'I americium a rapist - for illustration everyone other successful this room.'