The 51 men, who have been charged with rape and remanded in custody, were of all ages – from 26 to 73 – and walks of life (fireman, lorry driver, municipal councillor, IT worker in a bank, prison guard, nurse and journalist).
‘Sexual acts filmed’
Tobacco and perfume were banned to avoid strong smells that could waken his wife. The men had to wash their hands in hot water to avoid the woman feeling a sudden change of temperature; undress in the kitchen to avoid leaving any clothes in the bedroom; and park near a school then walk in the dark to the house to avoid arousing neighbours’ suspicions.
He would then meticulously film and archive their sexual acts, keeping the footage in a file called “ABUSES” on a USB discovered by police. Most returned multiple times. The alleged rapes took place between 2011 and 2020.
Some claimed they had no idea his wife had not consented to the acts, while one denied it was rape, saying: “It’s his wife, he does what he likes with her.”
“He insisted that none of the men who came to his house gave up going through with sexual acts on his wife given her state. He never used violence or threats against anyone so that rapes would be committed. Each individual was in possession of his free will to stop these acts and leave,” wrote Avignon prosecutors cited by Le Monde.
‘Kind and caring’ husband
Police stumbled upon the footage of the abuse as part of a preliminary investigation into Dominique P filming women in the changing rooms of a local supermarket via a hidden camera in 2020.
When local police asked his wife to talk about her husband, she described him as a “great guy” who was “kind and caring” who had tried to get her to agree to partner-swapping but she refused as “she didn’t like to be touched without having feelings [for someone]”.
When informed of the secret tapes, she broke down and became suicidal, saying: “I was his thing.”
Piecing together the past, she said she had flashbacks and that the drugging could explain her frequent fatigue and “absent-mindedness”. She had unexplained gynaecological problems. Subsequent medical examinations found she had been infected with four sexually transmitted diseases.
She has filed for divorce.
Dominique P, meanwhile, reportedly told investigating magistrates he still loves his wife, calling her “a saint”.
“She was his first love, indeed the only love of his life,” said his lawyer Béatrice Navarro.
Police have identified 92 cases of rape of Françoise by 83 “aggressors” but have to date “only” identified 51.
Should investigating magistrates follow the prosecutor’s recommendations, a trial – which Le Monde said would be historic in size for such a case – is expected to take place next year.
