Warning: This article contains discussion of rape which some readers may find distressing.
In a shocking twist, one of the 51 men accused in the case involving the rape of Gisèle Pelicot admitted that he questioned whether she was alive before proceeding to have intercourse with her. This revelation adds another layer of horror to an already distressing case.
While on the witness stand, Husamettin Dogan denied the charges of rape. He testified at the trial of Dominique Pelicot, who has confessed to drugging his wife, Gisèle, and allowing other men to have sex with her in their home in Avignon, France.
Hailing from Turkey, Dogan claimed he thought he was participating in a consensual sex game orchestrated by 71-year-old Pelicot. He said he had communicated with Pelicot through a swinger’s website.
“Pelicot said that they had been married for a long time and his wife wanted a new sexual partner,” Dogan testified, according to MailOnline.
“He said his wife pretends to be asleep during sex. It was their thing. Each couple is different in their sexual fantasies. He said I would go into the bedroom and I would take care of his wife.”
Dogan, 43, told the court that he asked Pelicot, “Your wife’s dead?” after realizing she was not responding to foreplay.
He claimed Pelicot dismissed his concerns, saying he was ‘imagining things’ and then demonstrated having sex with his wife, reports The Times.
Despite his initial doubts, Dogan engaged in intercourse with her for approximately half an hour. He left only when she started snoring loudly.
According to The Times, Dogan stated in court: “They call me a rapist. I am not a rapist,” insisting he was unaware that Pelicot had drugged his wife.
However, these statements directly contradict Pelicot’s claim that Dogan was informed about his wife being sedated.
The case, which has garnered international attention, has led Gisèle to waive her right to anonymity in an effort to highlight the issue of domestic rape.
This case has sparked numerous questions about consent, as many of the accused men claim they were unaware they were committing rape. Some have since admitted their guilt upon learning she had been sedated.
Mathieu Dartus is one of the men who maintains he did not know Gisèle was drugged at the time, but he now acknowledges that she was unable to give consent.
He said: “Now, afterwards, I understand that — but that night, everything was crazy.”
The trial is expected to conclude before Christmas.
If you have been affected by any of the issues discussed in this article, you can contact The National Sexual Assault Hotline at 800.656.HOPE (4673), available 24/7. You can also chat online at online.rainn.org