Ex-partner of Pelicot co-accused fears she was raped

The former partner of a co-defendant in a mass rape trial that has prompted horror and protests in France has broken down in tears and told the court she may herself have been sexually assaulted.

- Agence France-Presse

"I don't know if I was raped," Emilie O told a criminal court in the south-eastern French city of Avignon yesterday. "It's terrible; I will always have doubts."

Emilie O is the former partner of Hugues M, one of dozens of men accused of raping Gisèle Pelicot while she was drugged into unconsciousness by her now former husband, Dominique Pelicot. The 71-year-old, who has admitted inviting strangers into their home to rape her, has been on trial since the start of the month along with 50 other men aged between 26 and 74. Many of them have denied the accusations.

Emilie O said she herself may have been drugged and sexually assaulted by Hugues M, her former partner, with whom she lived for five years. "I was manipulated and lived a lie," she said. "I'm still questioning everything."

Recounting her story, Emilie O broke down in tears as she looked at Gisèle Pelicot, who smiled back at her in a show of support. The 33-yearold said she had first met Hugues M online. The two shared a passion for motorcycling.