A man who allegedly raped a French woman after her husband drugged her unconscious has apologised after shocking footage emerged in court.
Lionel Rodriguez, 44, a former supermarket worker and father of three, said he mistakenly thought he was participating in a lewd “game” and did not think it was harassment until he realised “something was wrong”.
The defendant is among 50 men accused of gang-raping Ms Pelicot over more than a decade in a case that has rocked France.
The woman’s then-husband, Dominique Pelicot, 71, admitted drugging the woman into a coma and inviting strangers to rape her.
Rodriguez confirmed in court on Thursday that he raped Ms Pelicot on December 2, 2018, but said it was not his intention.
“Since I never received Ms. Pelicot’s approval, I have no choice but to accept the facts,” he said.
In his statement to the court, he said that as a sex addict, he was looking for new partners when Mr Pélicot offered to have sex with his wife on a vice site.
Although Pelicot’s statements were “not very clear,” Rodriguez said he thought he was participating in a game.
“There was talk of medical drugs. Sometimes he was taking them, sometimes she was giving them to him,” he said.
“I didn’t ask myself too many questions,” he added.
He said Mr Pélicot sent him photographs of his wife, who was found naked in the couple’s garden.
“I never thought that he might not be a part of this game. That was my first big mistake… I’m not looking for excuses. I lost my bearings.”
When Mrs. Pelicot began to become restless, her husband asked her to leave the room.
“That’s when I realized something was wrong,” he said.
Ms Pélicot remained silent in court after Mr Rodriguez, now divorced and who spent 12 months in custody during the pre-trial investigation, said he “could not imagine the nightmare she lived and is still living”.
He said his own life was also “ruined.”
Around 27 disturbing images were silently shown on Wednesday, reportedly showing Ms Pelicot naked and in deliberately ‘obscene’ positions.
Defense lawyers argued that showing the images extracted from Pélicot’s hard drive “would be useful in establishing the truth.”
Ms. Pelicot’s daughter, Caroline Darian, left the courtroom at her mother’s request.
Defence lawyer Isabelle Crépin-Dehaene argued that the graphic photographs showed Ms Pelicot “alert” and “smiling”.
“Not all women accept such photos. They show that the husband has a demand that his wife is fully aware of.
“I think the Pelicot couple were playing a sexual game with each other.”
He added that by sharing the photos, Mr Pélicot “may have led some people to believe that the woman was willing and able to engage in a threesome”.
Ms Pélicot told the court she had no memory of taking the photos. “They are trying to trap me with these photos… to show that I lured these people to my house and that I consented to it,” she argued.
“I have felt humiliated since I stepped into this courtroom,” she said, noting that it was the first time she had lost her composure.
“I am called an alcoholic and someone who was drunk enough to be Mr. Pelicot’s accomplice.”
“I never, not for one second, gave my approval to Mr. Pelicot or any of the other men,” he said.
He added that the lawyers gave the impression that he was “the guilty party and the victim of 50 other men”.
Reacting to defense lawyer Guillaume De Palma’s words to the court that “there is rape, there is rape”, the lawyer said: “No, there are not different types of rape.”
Following Mr Rodriguez, a 72-year-old retired marine firefighter – the oldest defendant – testified on Thursday that he denied raping Ms Pélicot.
Grandfather Jacques Cubeau apologized to the lady and said: “Madam, I was devastated when I learned of the suffering you had endured.
“I’m devastated to have been involved in all of this. I hope you and your family get through this.”
But he said he believed it was “a scenario the couple had set up” when he found Ms Pelicot asleep “with her mouth open”.
‘I thought it was a fantasy’
Mr. Cubeau insisted that he did not engage in penetration or oral sex with Ms. Pelicot, to the astonishment of those in the courtroom.
“I thought it was a fantasy of theirs… I got the idea of a shy woman in a swinging couple.”
He then went on to deliver a speech on “the concept of patriarchy.”
“What can we do to prevent this from happening again? I think this concept of patriarchy, my wife, this concept of ownership. I think that concept needs to go away with future generations.”
Ms Pélicot has become a feminist icon since calling for the case to be made public in order to raise awareness about the use of drugs in sexual abuse.
The case has caused outrage in France, not least because many of the defendants appeared to be “ordinary” men with no previous convictions, including a firefighter, a nurse and a journalist, and many had families.
Seventeen people, including Mr Pelicot, remain in custody, while the other 32 defendants are attending the hearing free and clear.
One defendant, who is still on the run, is being tried in absentia.
The trial continues.