French mayor in hiding amid fury at comments on mass rape trial

THE mayor of the French town at the centre of the "Monster of Avignon" multiple-rape trial has fled following death threats after an interview where he downplayed the crimes.

- Peter Allen

Louis Bonnet, 74, caused outrage when he said the sick deeds of Dominique Pelicot, 71, in Mazan should not be taken out of proportion because "after all, no one died".

Pelicot admitting regularly drugging his wife, Gisele Pelicot, 72, and allowing scores of men to rape her over a 10-year period.

Mr Bonnet is now under the protection of police officers in a secret location far from Mazan, where he was elected mayor in 2020.

He said yesterday: "I've been threatened, I've been insulted.