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Warning: the text contains descriptions of sexual violence.
A man is on trial in the south of France on charges of drugging and sexually assaulting women, as well as filming some of the attacks.
Self-taught dance teacher and hypnotherapist Cyril Zattara is accused of raping 14 women over a decade and also allegedly secretly videotaping around 20 others.
Zattara, who has been in custody awaiting trial since 2021, pleaded guilty to 10 counts of rape.
The trial is being held behind closed doors in Aix-en-Provence at the request of one of the alleged victims. The hearing will last at least two weeks.
Other victims have demanded an open trial. They said they wanted their voices to be heard by as many people as possible.
Zattara, according to investigators, allegedly put sleeping pills in women’s drinks before raping them. It is believed he often targeted women he was friends with or in close relationships with.
On Zattara’s computer, investigators found photos and videos of alleged victims in a lethargic sleep state during sex.
A woman filed a complaint against the defendant in 2019 after attending one of his hypnosis sessions. She said she drank some wine he offered her and later woke up remembering piece by piece that Zattara had raped her and that she had vomited.
His DNA was found under her fingernails and on her underwear, and toxicology results showed potent sleeping pills in her system.
Zattara is on trial in France after the high-profile case of Dominique Pelico, who was sentenced to 20 years in prison for drugging and raping his ex-wife Giselle.
Pelico also invited strangers to molest his wife. These episodes were repeated for nearly a decade.