WARNING: The content of the following story may be disturbing to some readers.
The gang rape trial in France has exposed what many call a pervasive “rape culture” in the country.
“Today, I claim that I am a rapist, just like the other men here,” Dominic Perico, 71, said during a court appearance Tuesday. “They knew everything. They have no right to say otherwise.”
Gisele Perico, 72, claims that her husband drugged her and subjected her to sexual abuse by dozens of men while the couple lived in the small town of Mazan for nearly a decade, between 2011 and 2020. Dominic Perico not only filmed the assaults, but also admitted to committing them.
His decision to waive his anonymity at trial was unprecedented and surprised many, but he remains committed to his belief that he must face up to his crimes.
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“People are not born perverts, they become perverts,” he told the court, claiming he was raped by a male nurse at a hospital when he was nine and then forced to take part in a gang rape when he was 14.
Gisele Perico, 72, alleged that her husband drugged her and subjected her to sexual abuse by dozens of men for nearly a decade. (Christophe Simon/AFP via Getty Images)
“I only remember the shock and trauma of my younger years, but thanks to her I’ve forgotten some of it. She should not have had to go through this, I accept that,” he said of his wife. If convicted, Dominic Perico faces 20 years in prison.
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He is currently on trial along with around 50 other men identified and arrested by authorities using media provided by Dominic Perico, many of whom have denied the charges against them.
Dominic Perico’s testimony attracted media attention due to the shocking nature of the crimes. He testified for an hour while confined to a wheelchair due to health complications from kidney stones and a urinary tract infection.


Dominic Perico will stand trial along with about 50 other men. (Christophe Simon/AFP via Getty Images)
French law prohibits filming or photography during court proceedings, and Dominique Périco and several other defendants are in custody amid the trial, so he enters and leaves through a special entrance off-limits to journalists.
The other defendants claim they were manipulated by their husbands or believed their wives had consented to the acts.
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Dominic Perico first evaded the police when they caught him taking pictures of women’s crotches in a supermarket, and an investigation uncovered thousands of photos and videos of him assaulting his wife.
The couple were married for 50 years before the attack came to light and police exposed Gisele Perico to the media, a revelation that Ms. Perico described as “unbearable.” The couple have three children.


The gang rape trial in France has exposed what many call a pervasive “rape culture” in the country. (Christophe Simon/AFP via Getty Images)
“For me, everything falls apart,” Gisele Perico testified. “This is a scene of barbarism and rape.”
French authorities have determined that around 72 men in total were involved in the decade-long rape plot. According to the BBC, they range in age from 26 to 68 and come from a variety of backgrounds, including firefighters, journalists and pharmacists.
The foundation told NBC News that the trial was “emblematic of the worst consequences of male violence,” that the crimes against Gisele Perico were “barbaric” and that her decision to testify publicly was brave.
“I am not speaking out for myself, but for all women who suffer from chemical subjugation,” Gisele Perico said in her testimony.
Céline Piqué of Auxés le Feminism argues that the case counters the narrative of a “psychotic rapist” who “raped because he was convinced of his own impurity”.
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Pointing to the website Dominic Perico used to invite men to his home, Pique said more than 500,000 people visited the site each month last year, adding: “100 percent of these people never called to stop this abuse.”
“No one thought to report these crimes to the police,” Piques said.
Fox News Digital’s Jasmine Baer and The Associated Press contributed to this report.