Pelicot trial exposes gulf in societal attitudes towards rape

Taking the stand in France's biggest ever rape trial, Patrice N, 55, an electrician from the southern town of Carpentras, said he was a "jovial" guy and a fun dad who once trained youth football teams and had a "great respect for women".

- Angelique Chrisafis

He denied the charges of rape, claiming rape had never been his intention. "To my mind, it was a game," he told the court.

Patrice Nis one of 51 men on trial for the alleged rape and assault of Gisèle Pelicot, a former logistics manager who has become a feminist hero for insisting the trial be held in public.

For a nine-year period from 2011, Gisèle Pelicot was unknowingly sedated and raped by her then husband, Dominique Pelicot, who crushed sleeping tablets and antianxiety medication into her food and invited men to rape her at their home in the picturesque village of Mazan in Provence.

Gisèle Pelicot told the court last week that she felt "destroyed" but was driven by "the determination to change society" and expose "rape culture". But after dozens of accused men have testified that they did not think what happened was rape, her lawyers said the court hearings have exposed a "profound problem" in society's attitudes to sexual violence.