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GRENOBLE, France - Former French rugby captain Marc Cecillon asked his family on Tuesday to forgive him for killing his wife, saying a lethal mix of alcohol and depression drove him to shoot her at a party.
Cecillon, 47, a loose forward who won 46 caps for France, has admitted shooting his wife Chantal with a Magnum revolver in a drunken rage in August 2004 in front of some 60 party guests.
The former rugby star told a court in the southeastern city of Grenoble he should have dealt with his psychological problems before they overwhelmed him.
"I ask for pardon from my wife Chantal. I loved her. Pardon from my daughters Angelique and Celine. Pardon from my mother-in-law Marinette ... I never thought I'd do it," he said, before breaking down in sobs.
But his daughters, who are co-plaintiffs in the case, were not in forgiving mood.
"Why did you do this to us? I will never forgive you. I no longer have a mother," 24-year old Celine yelled, fixing her father in the eyes on an emotion-charged second day of the trial.
Angelique, 26, burst into tears as she addressed her father: "I will never forgive you, even if I still love you."
Cecillon's trial has received huge media coverage in France and raised questions about what help professional sportsmen receive when they stop playing.
Following his retirement from rugby in 2003, Cecillon had been prone to heavy drinking, bouts of violence and jealous rages against his wife, the court was told.
"I admit today that I fell into alcoholism whilst being totally wrapped up in my own little bubble. I exploded without knowing why," the heavy-built Cecillon said.
"I should have spoken up. Today, I realise this because of the 27 months I've spent in prison which have allowed me to think and work on myself," he added.
He could face life in prison if found guilty when the verdict is announced on Friday.
Police said Cecillon had been drinking heavily at the 2004 party in the southern village of Saint-Savin and was asked to leave after he slapped a woman.
He returned with a revolver and shot his wife when she refused to follow him outside. Cecillon suffered a head injury when other partygoers overpowered him.
A number of witnesses took the stand on Tuesday to paint a negative picture of Cecillon, saying he could be extremely violent and revealing that he had had a number of mistresses.
One woman said she had conceived a child with Cecillon in 1989 when she was 17, but that he had not recognised the infant.
Another mistress said the former rugby player had accosted her in a supermarket in 2001 just after her husband had died.
- REUTERS
