Di 50 men accused of di mass rape of Gisèle Pelicot

Dem dey young, old, heavily built, thin, black and white. Among dem na firefighters, lorry drivers, soldiers, security guards, one journalist and DJ.

Dis na di 50 men accused of raping Gisèle Pelicot at di order of her husband, Dominique Pelicot, 72, wey drug her for ten years with prescription sleeping pills.

Di fact say dem broadly represent a part of French society make dem call dem Monsieur-Tout-Le-Monde (Mr Everyman).

Next week, dem dey due to be sentenced, at di end of a trial wey start for September. If found guilty, collectively dem dey face more dan 600 years in jail.

A few of dem no care, but dem mostly look down as dem answer questions from di judges, looking up occasionally to catch dia lawyer eyes for reassurance.

Warning: You fit find some of di details of dis story disturbing

Di 50 all come from towns and villages inside a 50km (30-mile) radius of di Pelicots own village of Mazan.

Some defence lawyers dey see dia ordinariness as a a valuable line of defence. "Ordinary pipo do extraordinary tins," na so Antoine Minier, lawyer wey dey represent three defendants tok.

"I think almost evribodi fit end up in a situation - well, maybe not exactly like dis one - but dem fit dey capable of committing a serious crime," e tell di BBC.

'My body rape her, but my brain no follow'

Prosecutors don base dia sentencing demands to di court on serious factors. How many times di defendants come di Pelicot home, weda dem touch Gisèle Pelicot sexually, and if dem penetrate her.

Joseph C, 69, a retired sports coach and grandfather, dey face four years in jail for sexual assault if found guilty. Dat na di most lenient sentence requested by prosecutors.

At di oda end of di scale, na Romain V, 63, wey dey face 18 years in prison. Im bin know say im dey HIV-positive and yet e dey accused of raping Gisèle Pelicot on six separate occasions without wearing protection.

Prosecutors dey able to go into dis level of detail becos, unusually for a rape trial, e get a lot of amount of evidence against di defendants, as di alleged assaults bin dey filmed over almost a decade by Dominique Pelicot.

E admit to all di charges against am and don tell di court all 50 of im co-accused dey guilty too.

All di video evidence mean say none of di men dey able to deny say dem eva go to di Pelicots house. But majority of dem dey contest di charges of aggravated rape wey fit get strong sentences.

France rape law define rape as any sexual act wey dey committed by "violence, force, threat or surprise"; e no get reference to any need for consent.

Diafor, while many recognise say wetin dem do na technically rape, dem also dey argue say dem no dey guilty of am becos dem no dey aware say Gisèle Pelicot bin no dey in a position to give her consent.

"Dia no fit be a crime without di intention to commit am," na so one defence lawyer tok.

"My body rape her, but my brain no follow," na so one volunteer firefighter Christian L insist, dis na example of di reasoning wey some of di men offer.

One man inside di 50 wey no dey accused of raping Gisèle Pelicot na Jean-Pierre Maréchal, 63, wey dem call Dominique Pelicot "disciple".

After e learn how to drug im wife in oda to abuse her, im do so for five years and admit am.

E blame im crimes on meeting Dominique Pelicot, wey im say bin dey "reassuring, like a cousin". Prosecutors dey seek for a 17-year jail term.

'Manipulated and tricked by Pelicot'

Ahmed T, one 54-year-old plumber wey don dey married to im childhood sweetheart for 30 years, say if im bin wan to rape pesin, im no for choose a woman in her 60s.

Redouane A, one unemployed man aged 40, argue say if im bin set out to rape Gisèle, im for no allow her husband to take videos.

Some also say dem bin dey intimidated by Dominique Pelicot, wey one lawyer tell di BBC, say na "abominable character".

In tears, male nurse Redouan E tell di courtroom say im bin dey too scared of am to leave di bedroom. "Maybe you no fit tell from di videos, but I bin really dey fear!" e tell judges.

Odas maintain say dem give dem drinks wey dem put drugs and diafor dem no fit remember di encounter, although Dominique Pelicot don deny ever doing dis.

Di majority, however, maintain say dem bin dey manipulated or tricked by Dominique Pelicot, wey convince dem say dem dey take part in a sex game with a consensual couple.

"Dem dey in a situation wia dem dey scammed," Christophe Bruschi, Joseph C lawyer, tell BBC. "E take dem for a ride."

But Dominique Pelicot always say im make am very clear to di men say im wife no dey aware of di plot.

E give dem instructions to avoid waking her up or leaving traces wey go show say dem bin dey dia – such as warming dia hands before touching im wife, or not smelling of perfume or cigarettes, e tok.

"All of dem know, dem no fit deny am.”

Families dey find answers

Since September, di 50 men don appear, one after di oda, in front of di court for Avignon.

Usually in rape cases, character investigations fit take several days.

For dis trial, becos of di number of defendants wey dey involved, dem don break am into a few hours at most. Dem chook eye inside dia lives with speed, most times e turn di court session into plenti stories of abuse and trauma.

Simoné M, wey be 43-year-old construction worker, say im bin dey raped wen im bin dey 11 by a family friend wey employ am to look after cattle for di French overseas territory of New Caledonia.

Father-of-four Jean-Luc L, 46, tell di court how im and im family comot from Vietnam on one small boat wen im be small pikin and live for one refugee camp for Thailand for several years before moving to France.

Fabien S, one 39-year-old man with several previous convictions including drug dealing and sexual assault of a minor, bin face abuse and beatings fomr foster parents from a very young age. Like several odas, e say e only realise during psychiatrist appointments wey di court order say im unclear painful childhood memories be part of rape.

Dem also call up many wives, partners and family members of di defendants to give character statements. Dem, too, dey find answers as dem try to understand how di men in dia lives go end up "in dis kind of situation", as one woman put am.

"I bin dey shocked, e no sound like am at all. Im be di joy of my life," na so di elderly father of Christian L tok.

Dem also investigate di firefighter for possessing child abuse imagery, as e be for four odas, and dem dey face 16 years in jail. "Sometin fit don happen, im fit don become depressed," im father wonder aloud.

'I go always dey dia for am'

Corinne, di ex-wife of 54-year-old Thierry Pa, a former builder, say im always dey "kind" and "respectful" to her and dia children and e belike she leave di door open for a reconciliation with am.

"Wen dem tell me wetin im dey accused of I say 'never, dat one dey impossible... I no understand wetin im dey do here at all.'" She believe say na di death of dia 18-year-old son wey don lead her ex-husband to fall into a deep depression, start drinking and eventually make contact with Dominique Pelicot.

"I go always dey dia for am, wateva happens," na so di ex-girlfriend of Guyana-born Joan K tok. At 27, im be di youngest defendants and a former soldier for di French army.

Im don deny raping GP on two occasions. While im know say Gisèle Pelicot go dey unconscious, e say e no realise say she bin no give her consent.

With plenti tears, one woman dem call Samira say she don spend di last three and a half years "looking for answers" as to why Jérôme V bin go to di Pelicots house six times.

"We dey get daily intercourse, I no understand why im go look elsewia," she cry. She still dey in a relationship with Jérôme V, wey bin dey work for one greengrocer at di time of im arrest.

Im na one of di few wey don admit to raping Gisèle, say e like di idea of having "free rein" over her – but blame am however on im "uncontrollable sexuality".

Gisèle Pelicot: Dem rape me in full conscience

Many former and current partners of di defendants don undergo tests to see if dem too bin dey drugged like Gisèle. One woman say she go "always get a terrible doubt" say di "respectful, thoughtful, sweet man" she know go don abuse her too without her knowledge.

Since di start of di trial, dem don tok well-well of di need to find an element wey tie all dis men togeda.

One common denominator – besides di fact say all di men go di Pelicots place of dia own free will - "remain nowhere to be found," Gisèle own lawyers don tok.

But e get one factor wey all di defendants no doubt get in common: all of dem make di conscious choice not to go to di police.

Firefighter Jacques C, 73, say im bin consider am but "den life just carry on", while electrician Patrice N, 55, say im bin "no wan waste di whole day for police station".

In di early days of di trial, dem bin ask Gisèle Pelicot weda she think say e dey right to think say di men bin dey manipulated by her husband.

She shake her head: "Dem no rape me with a gun to dia head. Dem rape me in full conscience."

Later she ask: "Why dem no go to di police? Even one anonymous phone call for don save my life."

"But not one person do so," she tok after a pause. "Not a single one of dem."