PARIS, France - Dominique Pelicot and 50 other men that included a 22-year-old vineyard worker, have been accused of raping his ex-wife, 72-year-old Gisele Pelicot, on various occasions while the victim was unconscious from drugs injected by her husband.

In the past two months, Gisele watched inside the courtroom as video clips were played showing men sexually abusing her. Reportedly behind the camera during the rapes was her husband.

Actually, Gisele may excuse herself from the courtroom as the video played but she insisted on joining her attackers and their lawyers inside the court room.

“It’s not for us to have shame, it’s for them,” she declared in insisting that the rape trial of her ex-husband and other men be publicly held.

The 72-year-old grandmother said a public trial will help raise awarenes of the use of drugs in raping women.

While sedated, Pelicot was sexually abused by over 50 men who were invited by Dominique to their home to rape her. These happened over nine years from 2011 to 2020.

Youngest among the alleged rapist was 22-year-old Charly A., who was charged with abusing Gisele on six difference occasions between 2016 to 2020. Gisele was aged 64.

One of the rape incidents happened on the night of Gisele’s 66th birthday in her own bed.

In one video clip, Charly A and a man, later identified as Dominique, was overheard planning to do the same to his mother.

The appalling incidents were discovered when police arrested Dominique after being caught secretly filming women’s skirts at a supermarket.

Found recorded in his electronic equipment were 300 photos and videos of Gisele being sexually abused by about 70 men.

“I am a rapist, just like all the others in this room,” Dominique stated in the court.

In her closing statement, Pelicot condemned the “cowardice” demonstrated by the accused who pointed to her husband as the real culprit in all that happened.

Gisele pointed out that none of those who saw her “motionless body’ had the courage or dignity to leave and report the incident to the police.

“For me this is the trial of cowardice, there is no other way to describe it,” she said.

The septuagenarian stated: “It is time for society to look at this macho, partriarchal society and change the way it looks at rape.”