The French rapist, who is accused of allowing dozens of men to sexually abuse his drugged wife, told the jury in a final plea that “the rest of my life [is] in your hands”.

Dominique Pélicot, 71, asked his family for “forgiveness” as he hailed the “courage” of his former wife in his final statements on Monday morning ahead of a verdict later in the week.

In a trial that shocked France, Pélicot confessed to recruiting scores of men he met online to his family home to repeatedly rape or sexually assault Gisèle Pélicot, 72, for almost a decade.

Prosecutors have requested the maximum possible sentence of 20 years behind bars, portraying him as the worst sex offender in recent French history.

“I would like to start by hailing the courage of my ex-wife” he told the Vaucluse Criminal Court in Avignon.

“I regret what I did, making [my family] suffer... I ask them for forgiveness,” he added, asking the family to “accept my apologies”.

Turning his head in the direction of the five magistrates who make up the jury, Pélicot said: “There you go, you have the rest of my life in your hands.”

He acknowledged in the brief speech that he had been “saddled with titles that I rather intend to forget”.

They include “The Monster of Avignon”, the “Ogre of Mazan” and “The Wolf” who allegedly trapped “clients” by making them believe he was part of a libertine couple whose wife pretended to be asleep while having sex.

In fact, he was hiding sleeping drugs in Ms Pélicot’s food, making sure she was fully unconscious for the impending sexual assault.