NÎMES: Gisele Pelicot will confront the man who abused her during his appeal trial after he became a feminist hero in a mass rape case last year.
The 72-year-old must face Husamettin Dogan, the sole convicted man who continues to deny raping her despite overwhelming evidence.
Her former husband Dominique Pelicot previously admitted to drugging her and inviting dozens of strangers to rape her over nearly a decade.
A French court sentenced Dominique Pelicot to the maximum 20 years in jail last year alongside 49 other convicted men.
None of those 50 men are appealing their sentences except for the 44-year-old Dogan.
One of her lawyers Antoine Camus revealed she would have preferred to focus on her new life rather than return to court.
He added that she nevertheless feels compelled to see this legal process through to its conclusion.
Gisele Pelicot has received applause from supporters during each of her arrivals at the Nîmes court this week.
She is scheduled to give her testimony on Wednesday morning before the court.
Her lawyer stated she remains astounded by the defendant’s continued denial despite the material evidence.
Investigators discovered 107 photos and 14 videos from Dogan’s 2019 visit on her ex-husband’s hard drive.
This footage shows Dogan penetrating an inert Gisele Pelicot and attempting to force her to perform oral sex.
The court will view this evidence on Wednesday just before she takes the stand to testify.
Dogan was originally sentenced to nine years in prison for his role in the rape.
He maintains his innocence and claims he never intended to rape Gisele Pelicot.
The defendant argues he was trapped by her ex-husband into participating in the abuse.
Dominique Pelicot testified on Tuesday that Dogan was a fully willing participant in his scheme.
He told the appeal court that he never forced anyone to participate in the abuse.
Dominique Pelicot stated Dogan knew his wife would be asleep during the assault.
He described how Dogan performed various sexual acts on her unconscious body.
The ex-husband even recalled Dogan asking him to lift his wife’s leg to facilitate penetration.
Investigator Jeremie Bosse-Platiere systematically dismantled Dogan’s arguments during Tuesday’s proceedings.
The police commissioner cited the video evidence as definitive proof of Dogan’s guilt.
He expressed no doubt that Dogan was fully aware of the victim’s unconscious condition.
Bosse-Platiere stated that anyone viewing the videos would immediately understand the situation.
He described a particular moment when Gisele Pelicot moved slightly and Dogan immediately withdrew.
This reaction demonstrated his concern that his victim might wake up and expose him.
Dogan claims he only stayed at the couple’s home for approximately thirty minutes.
The investigator contradicted this by confirming he remained for at least three hours and twenty-four minutes.
This timeline was established through careful analysis of the video evidence.
Dogan now risks a maximum prison sentence of twenty years if his appeal fails.
The court is expected to deliver its verdict on Thursday following the conclusion of testimony. – AFP