Man accused of filming at least 51 men raping drugged wife over a decade
A French man has been accused of drugging his wife and then recording at least 51 men raping her while she slept, in attacks that took place between 2011 and 2020. Dominique P, a pensioner who had been married for more than 50 years, allegedly mixed the anti-anxiety drug Lorazepam into his wife’s evening meal, La Monde reported. He would then invite his ‘‘guests’’ into their house to rape his sleeping wife. A total of 51 men between the ages of 26-73 have been identified, arrested and charged with rape following an inquiry launched in 2020 in the southern city of Avignon. The suspect, from nearby Mazan, reportedly found the men on “a son insu” - a French internet forum where members discuss performing sexual acts on women without their consent and often when they are drugged. The exchanges on the web forum were erased after being linked to a criminal investigation into paedophile, racist or anti-Semitic content and the sale of illicit substances. Law enforcement officials learned about the videos during a preliminary investigation three years ago when the suspect was caught trying to film woman in a changing room with a hidden camera. The videos were found on the man’s computer, where they were meticulously archived in a file called ‘‘Abuses’’. The titles of the hundreds of videos indicate a date, a first name and the nature of the actions, according to the French newspaper. Investigators have identified 92 cases of sexual assault of the woman by 83 suspects, but are yet to identify all the men. Tobacco and perfume were banned by the husband in order to avoid strong smells that could waken his wife. The men were asked to wash their hands in warm water to avoid sudden a temperature change and were made to undress in the kitchen to avoid leaving clothes in the bedroom. The ‘‘guests’’ had to park near a school and walk in the dark to the house to avoid raising neighbours’ suspicion. Some claimed they had no idea the wife had not consented to the sexual acts, while one person denied it was rape, saying: ‘‘It’s his wife, he does what he likes with her.’’ According to prosecutors in Avignon, the suspect insisted that ‘‘none of the men who came to his house gave up going through with sexual acts on his wife given her state’’. ‘‘He never used violence or threats against anyone so that rapes would be committed. Each individual was in possession of his free will to stop these acts and leave,’’ the prosecutors said. When the woman was asked to talk about her husband in November 2020 during the initial investigation, she described him as a ‘‘great guy’’ and ‘‘kind and caring’’. She said he tried to get her to agree to partner-swapping but she refused as ‘‘she didn’t like to be touched without having feelings (for someone)’’. When the police informed her of the tapes, she reportedly began pieceing together the past. The woman said she had flashbacks and that the drugging could have been the reason behind her frequent fatigue and ‘‘absent-mindedness’’. Medical examinations found she had been infected with four sexually transmitted diseases. If the investigating magistrate follows the prosecutor’s indictment, a ‘‘historic trial’’ is expected to take place early next year with 52 defendants in the same box. The woman has filed for a divorce. Read More Where abortion laws stand in every state a year after the Supreme Court overturned Roe The sex abuse convictions of a man at the center of a tribal sovereignty ruling have been reversed Andrew Tate denies making money from trafficking women as he appears in Romanian court Germany sees opportunity in nuclear fusion, but funding for research remains uncertain Russia-backed officials say explosion damages bridge linking Ukraine's mainland to Crimea Rescuers search for person feared missing under rubble after Paris blast injures 37
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Former Texas House Republican Will Hurd launches long-shot bid for White House
Former Texas Representative Will Hurd has launched a long-shot bid for the Republican presidential nomination. The ex-CIA officer was strongly critical of then-President Donald Trump while serving in the US House before leaving at the end of his final term in January 2021. The 45-year-old served three terms in the House, becoming the only Black Republican in the chamber in his last two years, the AP noted. Mr Hurd appeared on CBS Mornings on Thursday, pitching himself as a moderate alternative in the growing field of GOP candidates. “We need common sense,” he said. “I believe the Republican Party can be the party of the future, not the past.” More follows... Read More Ivanka and Jared split over attending Trump 2024 launch – follow live Why was Donald Trump impeached twice during his first term? Four big lies Trump told during his 2024 presidential announcement
1970-01-01 08:00
FDIC Chair Backs Stricter Capital Requirements for Midsize Banks
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Lawmakers Seek to Ban Buy-Now, Pay-Later Loans for Semiautomatic Weapons
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Turkey’s Lira Slumps After a Smaller-Than-Expected Rate Rise
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Bank of England’s Shock Rate Rise Divides UK Economist Reaction
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New York truckers protest Modi’s US visit amid accusations of human rights violations
The fanfare around Narendra Modi’s visit to the US has been punctuated by protests over accusations that his right-wing administration is cracking down on human rights in India. Several trucks bearing banners calling upon Joe Biden to question the Hindu leader were seen in the streets of New York on Wednesday even as several Democratic lawmakers urged Mr Biden to “directly” put across questions about human rights violations to Mr Modi. Addressed to Mr Biden, digital posters on the trucks carried slogans like “Did you know mob lynching of Muslims, Christians and Dalits have surged under Modi’s rule. With almost no accountability” and “Hey Joe! Ask Modi why student activist Umar Khalid has been in prison for 1000+ days WITHOUT Trial?” Another banner addressed to Mr Biden asked “Why was Modi banned from the USA from 2005-2014?” and provided an answer for him. It read, for “particularly severe violations of religious freedom” and added that the Indian prime minister was the “only person ever to be denied a visa on these grounds”. The banners also labelled Mr Modi as the “Crime Minister of India”. As Mr Biden and Mr Modi enter the second day of the latter’s high-profile state visit and look to ink new partnerships in defence, semiconductor manufacturing and more, the visit has been overshadowed with calls to address violence and crimes against minorities in India. Notable progressive voices, like Democrats Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar, have said they will boycott Mr Modi’s address to the US Congress, stating that a “joint address is among the most prestigious invitations and honours the United States Congress can extend”. “We should not do so for individuals with deeply troubling human rights records – particularly for individuals whom our own State Department has concluded are engaged in systematic human rights abuses of religious minorities and caste-oppressed communities,” Ms Ocasio-Cortez said in a statement. More than 70 lawmakers earlier wrote to Mr Biden and called on him to use his meeting with Mr Modi to raise concerns about the erosion of religious, press and political freedoms. “It is an important country to me, and we must call out some of the real issues that are threatening the viability of democracy in all of our countries,” said representative Pramila Jayapal, who was born in India and helped organise the lawmakers’ letter. “If India continues to backslide, I think it will affect our ability to have a really strong relationship with the country.” A week before Mr Modi was due to arrive in the country, US rights groups planned protests over what they call India’s deteriorating human rights record. The Indian American Muslim Council, Peace Action, Veterans for Peace and Bethesda African Cemetery Coalition planned to gather near the White House when the two leaders were expected to meet. The protesting groups prepared flyers that said “Modi Not Welcome” and “Save India from Hindu Supremacy”. Another event is planned in New York, featuring a show titled “Howdy Democracy”, a play on Mr Modi’s 2019 “Howdy Modi!” rally in Texas with Donald Trump. Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch invited policy makers, journalists and analysts to a screening in Washington of India: the Modi Question, a BBC documentary that questioned Mr Modi’s leadership during the 2002 communal Gujarat riots. The documentary was banned in India, with the Indian government calling it a “propaganda piece” that displays “bias, [a] lack of objectivity, and frankly a continuing colonial mindset” on the part of the BBC. The BBC defended itself and said it adhered to the “highest editorial standards”. Since Mr Modi came to power in 2014, India has plummeted from 140th in the World Press Freedom Index, to 161st this year, its lowest dip ever, while also topping the list for the highest number of internet shutdowns globally for five consecutive years. Advocacy groups have also raised concerns over alleged human rights abuses under Modi’s Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party. Read More Biden and Modi to unveil new science and defence cooperation between US and India India's Modi is getting a state visit with Biden, but the glitz is shadowed by human rights concerns Jill Biden is taking Indian Prime Minister Modi on side trip before Thursday's White House visit Biden ‘won’t lecture Modi’ on India’s human rights record even as 75 US lawmakers differ Modi US visit: Amnesty calls for human rights to be central in talks with Joe Biden
1970-01-01 08:00
Player Accused of Cheating at World Series of Poker After Making Ridiculous Call
VIDEO: The hands that have poker pros accusing Martin Kabrhel of cheating at the World Series of Poker.
1970-01-01 08:00
Lula Irked by Central Bank’s Lack of Clarity on Rate Cuts
President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and his economic team were irked by some highly-anticipated comments from the
1970-01-01 08:00
Platt’s BlueCrest Dodges UK Demand for $700 Million Compensation
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1970-01-01 08:00
EU Seeks Further US Remedies Over Green Stimulus Spat
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Paris Gas Explosion Wounds Around 50, Destroys Building Facade
A gas explosion on Paris’s left bank late Wednesday afternoon left around 50 people wounded and destroyed the
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