A ‘disciple’ of the Monster of Avignon, accused alongside him of rape, has begun testifying.
Jean Pierre Marechal, 63, is alleged to have drugged his own wife after seeking advice from Dominque Pelicot, who was on the witness stand with him.
Pelicot, 73, is accused of raping his wife Gisele, who has waived her right to anonymity and arranged for at least 50 other men to abuse her while she was under the influence of drugs.
Marechal, dressed in a beige shirt, stood next to Pelicot, who had come to the court in Avignon in a wheelchair, and listened attentively to his co-defendant’s story.
In this sordid case, which has attracted worldwide attention, Marechal, who has been called “a good husband and father,” is accused of raping his own wife and offering her to Pelicot.
He is not accused of raping Gisele.
A sketch of Pelicot in court with the co-defendant in Avignon, France on September 17
Gisele Pelicot, flanked by her lawyer Stephane Babonneau, arrives in court on September 18
Dominique Pélicot is accused of recruiting men online to repeatedly attack his wife over a period of 10 years
In his shocking testimony earlier this week, Pelicot admitted he was a rapist, adding: “Just like the other 50 men” in the courtroom.
He also said he committed the decade-long abuse of Gisele out of “boredom” after quitting his job as an electrician.
Marechal drugged his 53-year-old wife at least a dozen times between 2015 and 2020 after meeting Pelicot on a now-closed sex website called Coco.gg
While she was sleeping, both men raped her. When she woke up, she saw a man running out of the bedroom with a flashlight.
Marechal allegedly told his wife Pelicot that she wanted to see her “in her underwear.” She later told investigators that she had no idea she was drugged.
Police were able to track down Marechal after examining computer equipment they seized from Pelicot’s home when he was arrested in late 2020.
Marechal, a retired truck driver and father of five, has admitted to the offences and unlike Gisele, his wife has supported her husband and did not divorce him ‘for the sake of the children’.
Like Pelicot, Marechal blamed his actions on the sexual abuse he suffered as a child, including his own father forcing him to perform sexual acts on him.
Marechal said: ‘My mother tried to protect us, but she drank every day, all the time. We saw her die of cirrhosis of the liver.
A sketch of Pelicot in court in Avignon, France on September 17
Gisele Pelicot’s daughter, Caroline Darian, arrives at the Avignon courthouse on Tuesday flanked by her mother Gisele Pelicot
Gisele Pelicot (2-R), her daughter Caroline Darian (R) and her lawyers Stephane Babonneau (2-L) and Antoine Camus (L) will go to court on September 17
Ms. Pelicot arrives Tuesday for the trial that has shocked the country and raised new awareness about sexual violence
‘She knew she was going to die, she prepared us for it. Even after that I didn’t blame my father, I always thought it was normal.
“I know now that it’s horrible. Like what I did to my wife.”
Marechal continued: ‘I regret my actions, I love my wife, I am in prison and I deserve it, but I will do my best to improve.
“I was a rapist, a criminal, I committed criminal acts.”
He added: ‘I’ve been to meetings about domestic violence, we owe women respect, a woman deserves respect.’
Marechal told the court that in 2013, after his mother’s death, he started watching violent pornography in order to “relive the attacks” carried out on her.
When asked who had the idea to target his own wife, Marechal replied: ‘I’m not going to deny it, but I’m not going to blame him (Pelicot) for everything. I didn’t deny it.’
Marechal also told the court that he and his wife had a normal sex life, but that it had “quietened out over the years.”
He added: ‘We got along very well. My wife was at home with the children, I was at work. Before I committed these despicable acts, I never forced her, but we had no problems as a couple.’
The abuse took place in the town of Mazan, in the south of France, and was only discovered after the man was caught slipping women into a local supermarket, prompting officers to search his home
Gisele Pelicot (center), flanked by her lawyers, receives flowers from a member of the public during the trial of her ex-husband for rape, at the criminal court in Avignon on September 17
Beatrice Zavarro (R), lawyer for Dominique Pelicot, speaks to the press on Tuesday
Marechal told the court that Pelicot had come to his home “about a dozen times” with sedatives for his wife, but that they had only worked “four or five times.”
He underlined the role of evil, Pelicot, and added: ‘Without him I would never have taken this action. He was reassuring and impressive.’
But he denied raping Pelioct’s wife Gisele, saying: ‘No I couldn’t, I couldn’t rape anyone other than my wife, but he shared videos of her with me.’
When asked about Marechal’s testimony, Pelicot told the court that “what he said is true.” He added: “What worried me was that we were caught by the children. One time it almost happened, when they came back from a nightclub earlier than expected.”
The court then heard a series of text messages between Pelicot and Marechal, highlighting their intimate relationship.
In a series of letters he sent after Marechal’s wife woke up, Pelicot warned him, “If the police question you, you don’t know me,” adding a laughing emoji.
Marechal replied, “We’ll try again in three months,” but Pelicot warned, “No, it’s too dangerous.”
As he spoke, Gisele, who has been in the courtroom every day since the trial began, listened from the other side, with her daughter next to her.
Several co-defendants of Pelicot and Marechal were also present in court. They all wore masks, caps and hoodies to avoid being recognized.
The crimes are said to have taken place over a ten-year period, starting in 2011 in the village of Mazan, where the Pelicot family lived.
The Public Prosecution Service expects the trial to last until December and that Pelicot, if found guilty, could receive a prison sentence of 20 years.