BBC/Léa GuedjThere were sighs of frustration in the packed seats of the Voltaire courtroom at Avignon’s Palais de Justice as the chief judge in scarlet robes announced that a trial sweeping France had been unexpectedly but inevitably postponed.
“He is sick,” said Judge President Roger Arata, who said the special case involving 51 rapists came after Dominique Pelicot became too ill to attend court. Cases will be delayed for “one, two, three days” and possibly longer.
His lawyer later said he had been taken to hospital.
At the right edge of the courtroom, Giselle Pellicott leaned her head gently against the wood-panelled wall, showing no apparent emotion when she learned she wouldn’t see her husband testify that day after all.
Gisèle Pelicot, 72, told a court last week that her calm demeanor belied “a devastation” after a French police officer told her four years ago that her ostensibly beloved husband was actually killed, which triggered the disaster. she.
She waived her right to anonymity to highlight the dangers of women being drugged and sexually assaulted – known as “chemical submission”.
From the courts of Avignon to the quaint medieval village of Mazen, it’s just over half an hour’s drive through gentle hills and vineyards, surrounded by the looming, almost lunar landscape of Mont Ventoux. The village was briefly famous for hosting the wedding of British actress Keira Knightley.
This is where the Pellicotts live and where Dominic Pellicott photographs locals he connects with online.
The mood at any place and at any time is always difficult to summarize.
“Honestly, no one here cares,” said Evan Tuvignon, a local caterer, leaning against his store counter, suggesting that people were fed up with the whole case.
But several women told CNN the entire village is not only shocked, but the revelations in court are creating new tensions in Mazan and surrounding villages.
The names of the defendants have recently been widely and illegally shared on social media, with some of them having since complained to the court that they, their families and children now face harassment on the streets and in schools.
Two local women loading their car on a narrow street in Mazan said they saw the names and recognized at least three of them.
“As you can imagine, this creates tension. You don’t know who to trust on the street. I will be leaving the village soon, which is a relief.
But beyond her, Océane’s mother, Isabelle Liversain, 50, raised another, deeper concern.
It has been revealed that while police have identified and detained 50 of the men in the images on Dominic Pellicott’s hard drive, 30 suspects (who have yet to be named and whereabouts) remain at large.
“So, we know that 30 out of 80 people haven’t been caught. There’s tension here because people don’t know if they can trust their neighbor. You ask yourself – is he one of those 30 people? Your neighbor What are you doing behind closed doors? said Caroline Martin in a frustrated voice.
But Mazen’s 74-year-old mayor, Louis Bonnet, tried to downplay those tensions, arguing that most of the alleged rapists were from other villages and trying to portray the Pellicotts as living there. A short-lived outsider.
He further said threats against the accused and his family were to be expected.
“If they were involved in these rapes, it is normal for them to be targeted. Everything that happens must be transparent,” he said, condemning the defendants and their actions.
In an interview with us, Mr. Bonnet spoke about the case itself, turning to attitudes that have sparked outrage in France and a deep admiration for Giselle Pellicot’s courage in confronting them.
“People here say ‘no one was killed’. If it could have been worse [Pelicot] Killed his wife. But that did not happen in this case,” Mr Bonnet said.
He then went on to tell the story of Giselle Pellicott.
“It must have been difficult for her to get back on her feet,” he agreed, but said her rape was less disturbing than another victim in the nearby town of Carpentra, who “was conscious when she was raped. . . ….And it will cause long-term physical and mental trauma, which is even more serious.”
“When it comes to children or women being killed, that’s very serious because there’s no going back. In that case, the family has to rebuild. It’s going to be hard. But they’re not dead yet, so they can still do it. arrive.
When I suggested that he try to downplay the seriousness of the Pellicott case, he agreed.
“I am. What happened is very serious. But I wouldn’t say the village has to live with the memory of the crime beyond what is acceptable,” he said.
His choice of words seemed clumsy. He condemned the case. He doesn’t want his village to be forever branded.
But he also seemed to belittle Gisele Pellicot’s trauma.
I pushed back again. I said that many women felt that this case exposed a specific type of male behavior that needed to be changed.
“We always want attitudes to change, and we should. But really, there’s no magic formula. People who do this are incomprehensible and should not be forgiven or understood. But it’s still there,” Mr. Bonnett answer.
Inside the Avignon courtroom, some of the defendants (18 of whom are currently in custody) sat in a special glass-walled area to watch the proceedings. A white man with disheveled gray hair stroked his bearded chin. Nearby, a young black man appeared to be dozing.
Earlier, dozens of co-defendants, who were not in custody, lined up outside the court and huddled with reporters.
Most tried to cover their faces with masks, but a few did not. A tall man shuffled forward, leaning on a cane. Some pulled green hoods down to cover their faces.
French law provides defendants with a degree of protection from media exposure, but Gisele Pellicot has rejected her legal right to privacy, preferring instead to become a symbol of resistance for many French women.
“She showed such dignity, courage and humanity. It’s a huge gift [French women] She chose to speak to the world in front of her rapist. They said she suffered a nervous breakdown. But she was so inspiring,” said Blandine Deverlanges, a local activist who appeared in court today.
She and her colleagues recently painted slogans on walls around Avignon. It read: “Ordinary people. Horrible crimes.
Christophe Simon/AFPThe couple’s daughter Caroline, 45, made no secret of her emotions as she sat next to her mother.
Evidence was recently presented to her that her father took photos of her without her knowledge or permission. She believed she, too, had been drugged by him and became a campaigner on rape and drugs issues – issues that many experts believe are grossly under-reported and under-investigated in France.
Sometimes, in court, as multiple defense attorneys raised objections or argued points of order, Caroline would frown or cover her face with her hands, showing clear frustration or disgust. A policeman began to give evidence, speaking in a thick southern French accent. Bright sunlight poured in from the skylight above the judges.
The atmosphere in the elegantly decorated court was calm but the family – mother, daughter and at least two sons – were seen sitting just meters away from so many alleged rapists, all now with their masks off , still shocked.
