A man accused of raping a woman drugged by his husband thought it was “a game”

• A man identified only as Lionel R. appeared in court in Avignon, France, on Thursday, September 19, claiming that Dominique Pelicot told him that his wife Gisèle liked to have sex with other men while she was under anesthesia, according to British newspaper The times
• Dominique, 71, is accused of drugging his 72-year-old wife and soliciting dozens of men to rape her over the course of nearly a decade.
• “I never thought she couldn't be part of this game,” Lionel told the court, according to the outlet

One of dozens of men accused of raping a woman who was drugged by her husband has told a court he believed he was involved in a “game”.

A man identified only as Lionel R., a grocer and father of three, was the first of the defendants to testify in the gang rape trial, admitting in a court in Avignon, France, to raping Gisèle Pelicot in 2018 but saying he did not intend it, according to French outlet France 24 and British newspapers. The times And The Guardian.

Dominique Pelicot confessed to his crimes earlier this week after being accused of drugging his wife Gisèle, 72, over a period of nearly a decade and soliciting dozens of men to rape her. Authorities allege Gisèle was raped by 83 different men and assaulted at least 92 times. The times previously reported.

During his court appearance on Thursday, September 19, Lionel, 44, claimed that Dominique, 71, had told him that his wife liked to have sex with other men while under anesthesia, according to the British newspaper.

According to France 24, he told Dominique's court: “He tells me he is in a relationship, he makes me a rather unusual proposal to have sex with his wife, he tells me she is going to sleep, he talks to me about sleeping pills, tells me that she is taking them or that he is giving them to her, it is not clear. I don't ask too many questions, I was convinced at the time that it was a game.”

“There was talk about medication. Sometimes about her taking it and sometimes about him giving it to her,” Lionel added. The times And The Guardian“I never imagined she couldn't be part of this game… My biggest mistake was not making sure she was conscious and consenting.”

Per The timesLionel testified in court that he was invited to the couple's home in Mazan, near Avignon, and that, on his instructions, he had sex with Dominique's wife for 30 minutes. However, he claimed that when Gisèle started to move, Dominique “told me to leave the room and that's when I realized something was wrong,” Lionel said.

“Since I never obtained Ms. Pelicot's consent, I have no choice but to accept the facts,” he continued, according to the outlet. “When I got in my car that day, I did not say to myself, 'I am going to rape this woman.'”

Lionel apologized to Gisèle, adding: “I'm sorry, I can only imagine the nightmare you went through… and I am part of that nightmare.”

On Tuesday, September 17, Dominique appeared in court and said in his first statement: “I am a rapist like the others in this room,” according to BBC, France 24 and the French broadcaster The Parisian.

As the BBC reported on September 17, 15 of the 50 defendants in the trial admitted to the rape, most of them merely claiming to have participated in sexual acts.

“They all knew and cannot claim otherwise,” Dominique told the court, according to the outlet.

“They all knew her condition before they came, they knew everything, they can't say anything else,” added Dominique. The Parisian.

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“Although it is paradoxical, I have never viewed my wife as an object, unfortunately the videos show the opposite,” he said, according to the outlet, adding that he regrets his actions.

The alleged crimes are said to have taken place between 2011 and 2020.

As PEOPLE previously reported, Gisèle was unaware of the abuse before police discovered thousands of photos and recordings on her husband's computer in 2020. As reported The timesThe discovery came in the wake of allegations that Dominique had filmed three women up their skirts in a grocery store.

If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to Rainn.org.