The appeal trial of Husamettin Dogan, the only man among 51 convicted in the Gisèle Pelicot case to challenge his conviction, began on Monday in Nîmes, southern France. Dogan, 44, an unemployed builder, told the court he “never intended” to rape Pelicot, though he admitted to sexual contact, claiming he was unaware she had been drugged unconscious by her ex-husband.
Gisèle Pelicot, 72, attended the hearing calmly, accompanied by her youngest son, Florian. She again waived her right to anonymity for the four-day trial. Outside the courthouse, supporters displayed a banner reading “Gisèle, women thank you” and applauded as she left. The presiding judge, Christian Pasta, recounted how Dominique Pelicot had filmed the abuse and stored the footage in a file labelled “abuse”, discovered after his arrest in 2020.
Dogan, who arrived with a crutch and his face covered, was sentenced to nine years in prison last year for raping Pelicot, based on video evidence from the Pelicots’ bedroom. He told the first trial he thought it was “just a game” and said, “I’m not a rapist, that’s too heavy for me to bear.” The appeals court heard that toxicology experts confirmed Pelicot was unconscious and nearly in a foetal position during the encounter.
The court also heard details of Dogan’s background: born in Turkey, he moved to France as a child, experienced a violent father, dealt drugs, and had periods of homelessness. He cared for his son, who has Down’s syndrome, while his wife worked. Psychiatric experts noted he hid his online arrangements for threesomes from his wife and occasionally sought paid sex.
Dominique Pelicot, serving 20 years for orchestrating the abuse, is expected to testify on Tuesday. He is likely to repeat his earlier statements, as the trial continues.
