A “happily married father” today told how he stripped naked in the middle of the night and entered the Monster of Avignon’s marital home “wearing only a condom” – to have sex with his unconscious wife.
Husamettin Dogan, 43, broke down in tears in court as he tried to justify attacking Gisele Pelicot, who appeared “dead” as her husband filmed the encounter in June 2019.
Dogan is one of 50 men accused of a decade of abusing Gisele Pelicot after she was drugged by her husband of 50 years, Dominique, at their home in Provence in the south of France between 2011 and 2020.
Dogan told the court he believed he was taking part in a sex game.
He said he had met Pelicot in an Internet chat room – coco.fr – used by swingers and that he had said his wife wanted a new sex partner.
Husamettin Dogan, 43, broke out in court as he tried to justify the attack on Gisele Pelicot (pictured above as she arrived at court this morning). She appeared ‘dead’ as her husband filmed the encounter in June 2019.
Dominique Pelicot, who allegedly drugged and raped his wife Gisele Pelicot, appears at his trial with 50 co-defendants at the courthouse in Avignon, France, September 17, 2024
Dogan is one of 50 men accused of abusing Gisele Pelicot for a decade after she was drugged by her husband of 50 years Dominique (pictured) at their home in Provence in the south of France between 2011 and 2020.
Dogan told the court: ‘I thought I was taking part in a sex game. Pelicot said they had been married for a long time and that his wife wanted a new sex partner.
“He said his wife pretends to be asleep during sex. That was their thing. Every couple has different sexual fantasies. He said I would go into the bedroom and I would take care of his wife.”
Dogan told the court he was drinking with friends when Pelicot, whom he had met online two days earlier, called him and asked if he wanted to come over that evening in June 2019.
He explained how he drove about 60km to the village of Mazan and stripped naked on the terrace of Pelicot’s chalet, before going inside wearing only a condom.
He said, “I’m a happily married man. I have a child. I didn’t want to give my wife any illness. I had complete trust in him. I left everything outside—my clothes, my wallet, my phone.
“I went straight to the bedroom. The lady was lying with her back to me. She had a bandana over her eyes.”
Dogan told the court that he had confronted Pelicot about his wife’s state of consciousness.
“I said to him, ‘This woman looks dead.’ But Pelicot said to me, ‘She’s not dead.’ It was a sex scenario.”
The court heard that Dogan abused Madame Pelicot for more than three hours while her husband filmed him, stopping only to drink a “baby whiskey”.
He said he was convinced that Mrs. Pelicot had given her consent because she had invited him to her home and her husband had given permission.
Judge Roger Arata asked Dogan: “Did you think Ms. Pelicot was really asleep or was she pretending?”
Dogan replied: ‘He said she was pretending. It was a sex game. Every couple is different. They all have their own thing.’
He added: ‘I only started having doubts when she started snoring.’
Dominique Pélicot is accused of recruiting men online to repeatedly attack his wife over a period of 10 years
Gisele Pelicot (center) receives applause from the audience as she arrives at the Avignon courthouse during the trial
Dogan told the court that he only learned that Pelicot had drugged his wife two years after his arrest.
However, he justified his actions by stating that it was “unimaginable” that a man would do such a thing to his wife.
He added: ‘In custody I was humiliated by the police. I was put in a cell and treated like an animal in a cage.
‘I’ve been insulted on the street. People call me a rapist on the street. I’m not respected.’
The courageous Gisele Pelicot was present in court and listened attentively as Dogan testified.
Retired electrician Dominique Pelicot has admitted drugging his wife and inviting dozens of men to rape her in their home in the south of France over a period of ten years.
Last week, Pelicot, 71, stood before his ex-wife and three adult children to express his remorse for his terrifying campaign of abuse and condemned the other 50 men as rapists.
He told the court: ‘I am a rapist, just like everyone else in this room.’
Pelicot today accused Dogan of being a “den” and claimed he knew what he was doing when he signed up for the internet chat room called “without her knowledge”.
During cross-examination, Dogan claimed he was intimidated by Pelicot.
He said, “I am a victim of Pelicot.” When asked if Madame Pelicot was a victim, he replied, “That’s something else, she was his wife. I was trapped.”
The process continues.