Man, 50 others go on trial in France for rape of drugged wife

A 71-year-old man is on trial in France accused of drugging his wife and inviting dozens of strangers to rape her in their home over nearly a decade in a case that has shocked the country.

Warning: The following story contains disturbing details.

A 71-year-old man is on trial in France accused of drugging his wife and inviting dozens of strangers to rape her in their home over nearly a decade in a case that has shocked the country.

The husband, Dominique Pelicot, offered sex with his wife on a website, and filmed the abuse, the prosecutor's office said. Fifty other men accused of raping his wife when she was knocked unconscious by the drugs are also on trial.

They each face up to 20 years in jail if found guilty.

Due to the drugs, Pelicot's wife had been entirely unaware of the rapes, which took place at their home in the southern French town of Mazan, until police told her about them four years ago, her lawyers have said.

"She knew nothing of what was inflicted on her. She had no memory of the rapes she suffered," lawyer Antoine Camus told France Bleu radio.

French media including Le Monde have said that police stumbled upon Pelicot's thousands of pictures and video of his wife's abuse when investigating him after several women said he was using his phone to film under their skirts in a supermarket.