AVIGNON, France (AP) 鈥� A 71-year-old French man admitted in court Tuesday that for nearly a decade, he repeatedly drugged his unwitting wife and invited dozens of men to rape her while she lay unconscious in their bed.

His wife of 50 years, who has divorced him since his arrest, also got to speak, telling the court that she feels completely betrayed.

In a trial that has gripped France and raised in the home and beyond, Dominique P茅licot told the court that he also raped his wife, Gis猫le P茅licot, and that the 50 men standing trial alongside him understood exactly what they were doing.

鈥淭oday I maintain that, along with the other men here, I am a rapist,鈥� Dominique P茅licot testified. 鈥淭hey knew everything. They can鈥檛 say otherwise.鈥�

P茅licot鈥檚 testimony marked the most important moment yet in a trial that has shocked the world. Although he previously confessed to investigators, his court testimony will be crucial for the panel of judges to decide on the fate of his co-defendants, who range in age from 26 to 74. Many of them deny having raped Gis猫le P茅licot, saying her then-husband had manipulated them or that they believed she was consenting.

Many following the case also hope his testimony might help explain why Dominique P茅licot would subject the mother of his three children to such unconscionable abuse.

Gis猫le P茅licot has become a hero to many rape victims and a symbol of the in France for agreeing to waive her anonymity in the case, letting the trial be public and appearing openly in front of the media. She shows up every day, passing through the courthouse security line behind men accused of raping her. As she left court during a break Tuesday, supporters brought her flowers.

After days of delay due to what his lawyers said was a kidney stone and urinary tract infection, Dominique P茅licot, seated in a wheelchair, testified that the charges against him are true. With his ex-wife looking on from the packed gallery and his voice trembling and barely audible at times, he started a long day of testimony trying to explain childhood traumas that he said scarred and molded him into the person he became.

鈥淥ne is not born a pervert, one becomes a pervert,鈥� P茅licot told the judges after recounting, sometimes in tears, being raped by a male hospital nurse at age 9 and being forced to take part in a gang rape at age 14.

P茅licot also said that for years, his father sexually abused a young girl his family had taken in, and that his brother later said their father had invited other men to do the same.

He regretted that his parents didn't let him continue his studies after he turned 14. He said that around that time, he tried to persuade his mother to leave the house with him, but 鈥渟he never wanted to.鈥�

鈥淚 don鈥檛 really want to talk about this, I am just ashamed of my father. In the end, I didn鈥檛 do any better,'' said P茅licot, who faces 20 years in prison if convicted.

After he spoke about his difficult upbringing, Gis猫le P茅licot was given the opportunity to address the court.

鈥淚t is hard for me to hear this. For 50 years, I lived with a man. I couldn鈥檛 imagine even one second that he could have committed acts of rape,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 trusted this man entirely.鈥�

The two looked at each other, him from behind the dock鈥檚 glass window and her from the witness stand.

鈥淚 am guilty,鈥� he told her. 鈥淚 regret everything I did. I ask you for forgiveness, even if it is unpardonable.鈥�

Asked if she wanted to respond, Gis猫le P茅licot turned and left the stand.

When asked about his feelings toward his ex-wife, Dominique P茅licot said she didn't deserve what he did.

鈥淔rom my youth, I remember only shocks and traumas, forgotten partly thanks to her,鈥� he said in tears.

At that moment, Gis猫le P茅licot put on her sunglasses.

Later, Dominique P茅licot said, 鈥淚 was crazy about her. She replaced everything. I ruined everything.鈥�

A supermarket security guard caught P茅licot in 2020 secretly shooting video up women鈥檚 skirts, according to court documents. During a search of his house and electronic devices, police found thousands of photos and videos of men engaging in sexual acts with Gis猫le P茅licot while she appeared to be unconscious in bed.

With the recordings, police were able to track down most of the 72 suspects they were seeking, but not all.

In addition to the photos and videos of Gis猫le P茅licot, investigators found photos of the Pelicots' daughter, Caroline Darian, and two daughters-in-law that were surreptitiously taken while they were in their underwear, getting undressed or taking showers, according to authorities.

While her mother has stayed remarkably calm throughout the trial, Darian walked out of the courtroom Tuesday as her father was being asked about photos of her that were found on his laptop.

鈥矱xcuse me, I鈥檓 going to vomit,鈥� she said angrily before rushing out. She has written a book about what happened to her family, called 鈥矨nd I Stopped Calling you Daddy.鈥�

After retiring, the P茅licots moved from the Paris region to a house in Mazan, a small town in the Provence region.

When police officers called Gis猫le P茅licot in for questioning in late 2020, she initially told them her husband was 鈥渁 great guy,鈥� according to legal documents. They then showed her some photos. She left and later divorced her husband.

Since Dominique P茅licot鈥檚 arrest, other cases have surfaced. He was fined after being caught shooting video of a women鈥檚 crotch in 2010 and required to see a psychologist. Gis猫le P茅licot has said she never knew about this incident.

Under French law, the proceedings inside the courtroom cannot be filmed or photographed. Dominique P茅licot has been brought into the court through a special entrance that's inaccessible for the media, because he and some other defendants are being held in custody during the trial and can't be filmed. Defendants who are not in custody have been arriving at the courthouse wearing surgical masks or hoods to avoid having their faces filmed or photographed.

Among those hoping to secure a seat to watch the Tuesday's proceedings was Bernadette Tessoni猫re, a 69-year-old retiree who lives a half-hour drive from Avignon, where the trial is taking place.

鈥淗ow is it possible that in 50 years of communal life, one can live next to someone who hides his life so well? This is scary,鈥� she said.