Dinner party foursomes, OAPs flashing me & depraved cops – I know why the French barely shrugged at Pelicot rape trial
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THE trial of Dominque Pélicot, who was convicted of raping his unconscious wife Gisele and inviting 83 men to join in, has captured the world’s attention - not least because Gisele, 72, bravely waived her right to have her trial in private. Samantha Brick, 53, originally from Birmingham, has lived in the Dordogne, in southwest France, for 18 years, after meeting and marrying husband Pascal, 63, says while Gisele’s trial was extraordinary it was symptomatic of a wider French issue towards women and sex.
![[Samantha Brick spoke to Fabulous to share her experience of living in France]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/6cc8ab25-039a-46d3-9199-94c5287daf30.jpg?strip=all&w=781)
Now, speaking to Fabulous, she shares her experience:. Picture the scene - a dinner party for six adults, three French men and three British women, in rural France. I was staying with a girlfriend who had sold up and bought a place in the countryside. As you’d expect in France the men exited to smoke in between courses while us women were expected to plate up and clear away.
![[Gisele Pelicot poses for a photograph in Avignon during the trial of her former partner accused of drugging her for nearly ten years]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/2024-trial-former-partner-accused-960065370.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
That night one bloke goosed my bum. Another one - with no concept of personal space - repeatedly asked if my boobs were natural. While the third kept wondering what I’d look like starkers. When it got to dessert the suggestion was to skip it in order to strip off and dive in the hot tub. I made my excuses with a ‘non, merci’ and went to bed early that night.
![[Gisele Pelicot spoke to the press after leaving the courtroom, in the Avignon courthouse]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/gisele-pelicot-speaks-press-leaves-958522956.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
I later found out they had a foursome - but 'Je ne regrette rien.'. I wanted no part of it. This episode happened 18 years ago on holiday (just before I met my husband Pascal) but the truth is little has changed. Even today in 2024 If you want to immerse yourself in French cultural life you need to turn your watch back half a century.
![[Sam Brick now lives in France with her husband]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/b163ba5e-0a7b-4931-94c6-7432fb4d53c6.jpg?strip=all&w=433)
