Lyon court opens trial of man who sought Dominique Pelicot's advice on drugging and raping his partner

The defendant and the charges

A 39-year-old former bodyguard, identified by Le Parisien as Anthony E., went on trial Thursday before the Rhône criminal court in Lyon. He is charged with rape by chemical submission of his partner, as well as filming and distributing the acts online without her knowledge. The two-day trial runs 11–12 June 2026, with a verdict expected Friday evening. He faces up to 20 years in prison.

The link to Dominique Pelicot

When Dominique Pelicot was arrested on 12 September 2020, investigators found messages on his phone from a man proposing that Pelicot come to Lyon to drug and rape his partner. The Lyon suspect was not arrested until June 2023, nearly three years later. According to the investigative findings cited by AFP, the accused was "désireux de bénéficier de l'expérience de M. Pelicot" (keen to benefit from Mr Pelicot's experience) in order to put his wife to sleep before abusing her. Pelicot, who is serving a 20-year sentence for drugging his wife Gisèle and inviting dozens of strangers to rape her, was questioned during the investigation but is not being called to testify, his lawyer Béatrice Zavarro said.

Dominique Pelicot is not called to testify.

What investigators found

A search of the defendant's phone uncovered videos showing his partner unconscious while he performed sexual acts. The investigating magistrate concluded that the woman's "deep sleep" visible in the videos "excludes any form of consent" and "characterises surprise." Investigators also found powerful sedatives in a safe at the suspect's home. The victim reported several blackouts and a period of "great fatigue between 2020 and 2023 without understanding the cause," as well as heart problems and dizziness.

Filming and online dissemination

The accused is also suspected of having used a hidden camera to film "his wife naked" in "the intimacy of their bedroom" from the start of their relationship in 2015. He allegedly distributed the content online via fake profiles created in his ex-partner's name on the former dating site Coco. According to the victim, several men showed up at her workplace believing they had a date with her. Child pornography content was also found on his computer.

The defence and the trial

After initially confessing to one rape and one sexual assault by chemical submission, the defendant retracted his statements and now claims the acts were part of a "sexual game" with the mother of his son, which she disputes. At the opening of the trial on Thursday, he told the court he would not acknowledge "the entirety of the facts."

I am here to shed light on what I really did and what I did not do.

His lawyer, Gabriel Versini-Bullara, did not deny the links between the two men but suggested the connection might be less significant than portrayed. The plaintiff's lawyer, Julia Studient, said the debate would centre on determining "the extent and scale of his ties" with Pelicot. Unlike Gisèle Pelicot, the victim in this case wishes to remain discreet and does not intend to speak publicly.