A French man went on trial on Monday (May 25) accused of torturing and raping his former partner over several years in a case that has drawn comparisons with the landmark trial involving Gisele Pelicot.
The 51-year-old defendant, a former bank manager, is accused of manipulating his then-partner into violent sexual abuse and forcing her into encounters with other men between 2015 and 2022. He denies the allegations and claims the acts were consensual.
The trial comes months after the Pelicot case shocked France and reignited national debate about sexual violence, consent and victim shaming.
Plaintiff says she refuses to remain silent
The 42-year-old plaintiff, identified only as Laetitia, arrived at court supported by feminist activists.
Her lawyer, Philippe-Henry Honegger, said she decided to speak publicly after being inspired by Pelicot’s decision to waive anonymity during her own trial.
“She believes that fear and shame should change sides,” Honegger said.
He added that after “being silenced for so many years,” his client no longer wanted “to remain silent.”
In interviews with French media, Laetitia said she had “lived in fear” throughout the relationship.
Allegations include torture, rape and coercion
According to prosecutors, the woman described years of severe abuse, including physical violence and coerced sexual acts.
She told investigators she suffered “punches, being hit with a cutting board, knife or box cutter cuts in my back” as well as cigarette burns.
Prosecutors also said the accused allegedly pressured her into having sexual relations with other men he contacted online and took money paid during those encounters.
The plaintiff further alleged that the defendant used violence and emotional blackmail whenever she resisted his demands.
Police investigation began after friend alerted authorities
The alleged abuse remained hidden for years until 2022, when the woman reportedly confided in a friend who alerted police.
The complaint led to the man’s arrest and the launch of a criminal investigation.
Honegger said the case is backed by extensive evidence.
“This is a case in which a woman’s testimony is supported, corroborated, reinforced, and confirmed by hundreds and hundreds of messages, phone exchanges, transcripts, and by medical findings that are indisputable,” he said.
Victim says abuse left lasting physical and psychological damage
The plaintiff told French radio that the abuse had permanently affected her health and daily life.
“Today I am incontinent, disabled,” she said.
Her lawyer said she remains physically and psychologically traumatized and is “unable to lead a normal life.”
The defendant faces a possible life sentence if convicted.
Comparisons with Gisele Pelicot case
The case has inevitably drawn comparisons with the trial involving Gisele Pelicot, whose husband was sentenced in 2024 after recruiting dozens of men online to sexually assault her while she was drugged unconscious.
However, prosecutors noted one major difference: the defendant in the current trial is not accused of drugging the plaintiff.
The hearings are expected to last about a week, significantly shorter than the Pelicot proceedings, which extended over several months and involved dozens of defendants.
(With AFP inputs)
