A mother of three whose husband is accused of inviting dozens of men to rape her while drugged unconscious in France’s worst ever sexual abuse trial is due to take the stand on Thursday.

Gisèle Pélicot, 72, waived her right to anonymity to keep the trial open to the public so that “shame changes sides” over the serial abuse by her husband of 50 years, Dominique Pélicot, 71.

For the first three days of the trial, Mrs Pélicot remained bravely stoical alongside her daughter and two sons as the presiding judge and the lead investigator recounted harrowing details from videos shot by her husband and meticulously stored on computer files.

On Thursday, she appeared relaxed in a long orange dress and white jacket as she was due to take the stand in the small criminal court in Avignon, southern France, which was almost entirely filled with the men accused of sexually assaulting her while she lay comatose in her bed. 

On Tuesday, Pélicot’s daughter collapsed before storming out of court after hearing that nude photos of her had been found on her father’s computer.

At least 35 defendants have pleaded not guilty and 14 guilty, including Pélicot.

Mrs Pélicot sighed and stared at the ceiling as presiding judge Roger Arata opened the fourth day of proceedings. The trial is due to last four months.

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