Béatrice Zavarro has tried to explain, not excuse, why Dominique Pelicot invited strangers to rape his wife, while hoping the case will lead to social change in France
Béatrice Zavarro, a diminutive figure in a long black robe and heavy red glasses, who has described herself as the “devil’s advocate”, stood up in a packed courtroom in Avignon to sum up the defence for Dominique Pelicot, on trial for drugging his wife, Gisèle, and arranging more than 50 men to rape her.
What could his lawyer say about the man who has admitted to the charges in the notorious mass rape trial, and whose perversions and depravity have been played out in words and pictures around the world since proceedings opened three months ago?
