Rape suspect says he had sex with Monster of Avignon’s drugged wife despite finding it ‘unusual’ she was snoring after her husband had sex with her in front of him and then told him to ‘have a go’

The youngest man accused of raping a French woman who was sedated by her husband told a court today that he found it “unusual” that she “snored” when he had sex with her.

Joan Kawai, 26, was arrested at the barracks where he served in the French army after his details were found on devices recovered by police from the home of Dominique Pelicot.

The 71-year-old man, who has been dubbed the Monster of Avignon, is accused of drugging his unsuspecting wife Gisele, also 71, for nearly a decade so that dozens of men could rape and abuse her.

Kawai, one of 50 men on trial with the retired electrician, was driven to the house in Mazan in November 2019 after being picked up by Mr Pelicot because he could not drive himself.

The soldier told the court he had watched Mr Pelicot having sex with his sleeping wife, and that when he had finished he had told him to ‘try it’. Kawai said he had noticed that she ‘appeared to be snoring’.

Kawai told the court he met Pelicot through the now-closed swingers website Coco.fr and that he had sent the retiree photos of his penis.

“He said he was looking for someone who could please his wife,” Kawai said.

“When we spoke, I got the impression she agreed with him. He said it wasn’t the first time.

‘When I arrived I had to wash my hands. I undressed in the hallway and we had a glass of whiskey. I had to warm my hands on the radiator.

“We went to the bedroom and Mrs. Pelicot was lying on the bed. She was naked from the waist down. He had intercourse first and then he told me to do it and gave me instructions.

‘What wasn’t normal was that she snored.’

During cross-examination by one of Ms Pelicot’s lawyers, Stephane Babonneau, Kawai was reminded of his oath as a soldier and that he had “signed to defend and protect others”.

He was asked, ‘So at what point do you ask Dominique Pelicot why his wife is sleeping like that?’

Kawai replied, “When the snoring increased and became louder. He told me she was taking sleeping pills and I thought it was creepy.

‘I asked him the second time I came back if that was normal, but he didn’t answer.

“That worried me. I should have reported that suspicious things were happening in the house.”

Kawai was asked by Judge Roger Arata if he had “considered giving consent.”

He replied, “I didn’t ask myself that question.” To which the judge replied, “That answers my question.”

Kawai said he recognized the facts of what had happened between him and Ms. Pelicot, but he maintained that he had not raped her.

Returning to the topic of consent, the judge asked him, “Do you think a husband can give consent on behalf of his wife?” Kawai replied, “I don’t think so.”

The judge then read testimony that described the video of Kawai and Mrs. Pelicot in graphic detail. She seemed upset as she listened and sought support from her son David.

At one point it appeared that even the judge had difficulty reading the testimony and his voice broke several times.

The court heard that Kawai had been to the house twice and that a third visit was cancelled.

Kawai added: ‘It didn’t feel right, I didn’t enjoy it. He told me he gave his wife sleeping pills.’

The 26-year-old was born in Guyana but moved to the Vaucluse region of France as a teenager. He was only 23 when he was arrested.

He first visited the house in November 2019, the day his daughter was born.

He then went back again and admitted that he had visited for the third time, but that Dominique Pelicot had cancelled at the last minute.

He initially told investigators that he had not asked himself whether Mrs Pelicot had given consent.

When he subsequently saw the photos, he admitted that she was unconscious.

The process continues.