Daughter of man accused of encouraging at least 50 men to rape his unconscious wife breaks down in court

3 September 2024, 17:25 | Updated: 3 September 2024, 19:58

The daughter of a man accused of letting dozens of men rape his unconscious wife ran out of court in tears after it heard he had taken photos of her while she was drugged.

Warning: This story contains details that readers may find distressing

Dominique P is alleged to have recruited at least 50 men on a chat room called "without her knowing" in a case that has shocked France.

And during the hearing on Tuesday, the court in Avignon heard how naked photos of his daughter - who now uses the name Caroline Darian - had been found on a computer in a folder titled "Around my daughter, naked".

According to French media reports, Ms Darian left the room in tears - escorted by her two brothers.

She came back around 20 minutes later.

Family lawyer Antoine Camus, told reporters after the day's proceedings: "Even if they are not discovering anything new as they know the case, it was particularly gruelling this morning."

The 71-year-old was first arrested in September 2020 for filming up women's skirts in a supermarket.

A computer file labelled "abuses" seized from his home contained more than 20,000 photos and videos of the attacks, according to Le Monde.

The crimes allegedly began in 2011.

Dominque P is said to have cleaned his wife's body after the attacks and given the men orders so she would not wake, including warming their hands, not wearing aftershave or smelling of cigarette smoke.

The other 50 accused include a fireman, a journalist and a prison guard. They each face up to 20 years in prison if found guilty.

The men were of all ages and all walks of life, French media said, adding that some admitted to being guilty while others said they thought the wife had pretended to be asleep.

The trial, which is set to include video footage of the rapes, is expected to last until December.

Dominque P's wife, 72-year-old Gisele P, is attending the trial, which she wants to be held publicly to alert the public to sexual abuse and drug-induced blackouts.

Lawyer Stephane Babonneau told French media she wanted to show "that shame must change sides".

(c) Sky News 2024: Daughter of man accused of encouraging at least 50 men to rape his unconscious wife breaks down in court