'This is not just my battle': Pelicot testifies in rape trial
The Independent|October 24, 2024
Gisele Pelicot, the French grandmother who has been hailed as a hero for insisting the trial of her ex-husband and dozens of other men accused of raping her be held in public, has taken to the stand and described herself as a “woman who is totally destroyed” but that she has a “determination to change society”.
TOM WATLING
'This is not just my battle': Pelicot testifies in rape trial

Dominique Pelicot has admitted the charges against him – of sedating and raping his then wife Ms Pelicot, and inviting other men over to rape her, across a nine-year period from 2011 to 2020. Fifty other men are also on trial, with the majority denying rape and arguing that they cannot be guilty because they did not realise she was unconscious and therefore did not “know” they were raping her.

After two months of the trial, 72-year-old Ms Pelicot has told the court that she wants women who have been raped to know that “it’s not for us to have shame – it’s for them”. “I am a woman who is totally destroyed,” she said, before adding: “I want all women who have been raped to say: Madame Pelicot did it, I can too. I don’t want them to be ashamed any longer.”

“This is not just my battle, but that of all rape victims,” she said. Asked how she has kept going in the face of what the court has heard, she said: “It’s true that I hear lots of women, and men, who say you’re very brave. I say it’s not bravery, it’s will and determination to change society.” Mr Pelicot watched from the dock as his ex-wife recounted how “lucky” she felt during their marriage to have him by her side, only for him to allegedly “bring these strangers” into their bedroom without her knowing.

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة October 24, 2024 من The Independent.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة October 24, 2024 من The Independent.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.

المزيد من القصص من THE INDEPENDENT مشاهدة الكل
'I'll be back through No 10's doors one way or another'
The Independent

'I'll be back through No 10's doors one way or another'

We all know Maro Itoje's leadership qualities in rugby, but he tells Harry Latham-Coyle he has big ambitions off the pitch

time-read
5 mins  |
October 29, 2024
Defiance proved no match for a bizarre brand of chaos
The Independent

Defiance proved no match for a bizarre brand of chaos

Erik ten Hag has a class of defiance that sometimes made him sound a man apart.

time-read
4 mins  |
October 29, 2024
The 'fight has been called off' for staggering Ten Hag
The Independent

The 'fight has been called off' for staggering Ten Hag

Man United sack manager with the club 14th in league

time-read
4 mins  |
October 29, 2024
Gift economy: John Lewis to hire 12,500 festive staff
The Independent

Gift economy: John Lewis to hire 12,500 festive staff

The John Lewis Partnership (JLP) is set to hire 12,500 temporary staff this festive season in its largest seasonal recruitment drive to date.

time-read
1 min  |
October 29, 2024
Zoopla says £113bn of sales in pipeline as market surges
The Independent

Zoopla says £113bn of sales in pipeline as market surges

An estimated £113bn-worth of homes are working their way through the buying process in what marks the highest level of new sales agreed since autumn 2020, according to the property website Zoopla.

time-read
1 min  |
October 29, 2024
Look to Ireland to embrace the true spirit of Halloween
The Independent

Look to Ireland to embrace the true spirit of Halloween

Anna Hart speaks to historians, spiritual leaders and revellers about Samhain, the ancient Celtic festival now enjoying a resurgence but which the Irish were forcibly taught to forget

time-read
6 mins  |
October 29, 2024
Depardieu sexual assault trial postponed until March
The Independent

Depardieu sexual assault trial postponed until March

Gerard Depardieu’s trial on charges of sexually assaulting two women on a film set was yesterday postponed until March due to concerns about the actor’s health.

time-read
4 mins  |
October 29, 2024
Big Apple rotten to the core at Trump's Garden party
The Independent

Big Apple rotten to the core at Trump's Garden party

A 'surreal' return to New York saw 19,000 people cheer on crude insults and attacks nine days before the US election

time-read
5 mins  |
October 29, 2024
Paedophile who made AI images jailed for 18 years.
The Independent

Paedophile who made AI images jailed for 18 years.

A man has been jailed for 18 years after creating AI-generated images of child sexual abuse in an “utterly chilling” landmark case.

time-read
3 mins  |
October 29, 2024
Fertility rate in England and Wales plunges to record low
The Independent

Fertility rate in England and Wales plunges to record low

The fertility rate in England and Wales has dropped to its lowest level since records began, new government data shows.

time-read
2 mins  |
October 29, 2024