Topics: Domestic Abuse, Crime, Court, World News, France
Warning: This article contains discussion of rape which some readers may find distressing.
One of the 51 men accused of raping Gisèle Pelicot has revealed he questioned whether she was dead, before going on to have intercourse with her, as more horrifying details emerge from the case.
Husamettin Dogan vehemently denied rape, while giving evidence at the trial of Dominique Pelicot, who has admitted drugging his wife, Gisèle, and inviting men to their home in Avignon, France, to have sex with her.
Dogan, who hails from Turkey, claims he believed he was taking part in a sex game organized by 71-year-old Pelicot, after exchanging messages with him on a swinger's website.
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"Pelicot said that they had been married for a long time and his wife wanted a new sexual partner," he said, as per the 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."
The 43-year-old told the court he questioned Pelicot: "Your wife's dead?" after noticing she wasn't responding to foreplay.
He alleges Pelicot told him he was 'imagining things' before going on to demonstrate having sex with his wife, as per The Times.
But despite his concerns, Dogan had sex with her for around half an hour, until she began snoring loudly, prompting him to leave.
According to The Times, he told the court: "They call me a rapist. I am not a rapist," insisting he had no idea Pelicot had drugged his wife.
These claims are in direct conflict to those made by Pelicot, however, as he maintains he informed Dogan he had sedated his wife.
As part of the case, which has horrified people all over the world, Gisèle has chosen to waive her right to anonymity in a bid to raise awareness of the horror of domestic rape.
The case has raised many questions around the subject of consent, as dozens of men accused insist they were unaware they were raping her at the time. Some of the accused, however, have since admitted the offence after learning she had been sedated.
One man, Mathieu Dartus, maintains he did not know she was drugged at the time, but confessed that with hindsight he understands she was unable to give consent.
He said: "Now, afterwards, I understand that — but that night, everything was crazy."
The trial is ongoing and due to end before Christmas.
If you've been affected by any of the issues in this article, you can contact The National Sexual Assault Hotline on 800.656.HOPE (4673), available 24/7. Or you can chat online via online.rainn.org
