The testimony of a 71-year-old Frenchman accused of drugging his wife and enlisting dozens of strangers to rape her was delayed on Wednesday after he claimed to be still unwell.
In a case that has shocked much of France, Dominique Pelicot, the primary defendant, was scheduled to testify after a previous delay earlier in the week, when he was admitted to a medical facility. Pelicot stands accused of repeatedly raping his heavily sedated wife and hiring random individuals to abuse her in their home over a period spanning more than a decade.
On Wednesday, the presiding judge granted a request by Pelicot’s defence lawyer, Beatrice Zavarro, to excuse him from court once again. Pelicot, who appeared frail and was using a cane, was said to be “still in a lot of pain” and not fit to endure a full day of testimony due to symptoms of what might be a bladder infection.
He was sent back to jail for further medical assessment, and it remains unclear when he will be fit to testify.
Prosecutors revealed that Pelicot filmed the abuse of his wife by strangers he invited via a website. Over fifty other men accused of participating in the assaults are also on trial, with each facing up to 20 years in prison if found guilty.
Zavarro has told the French media that Pelicot admits to his crimes. Some of the other defendants have also confessed, while others claim they believed the wife was pretending to be asleep, according to reports.