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Warning: This story contains distressing details from the start.

A French judge has reversed a ruling in the trial of a man who is accused
of drugging his wife to sleep and recruiting dozens of men to abuse her
for over a decade.

Lawyers for Gis�le Pelicot, 72, had earlier appealed against the judge's
initial decision to only show video of the crimes to lawyers and the jury.

She has waived her right to anonymity in the trial, enabling the shocking
details of the case to be heard in public.

Her lawyers argued the video should be seen to draw attention to the use
of drugs to commit sexual abuse. They hailed the latest ruling as a
"victory".

Dominique Pelicot, 71, recorded many of the crimes committed against his
now ex-wife on video and he has admitted the charges against him.

However, 50 other men are accused of rape alongside him and the videos are
considered significant elements in the case.

The judge announced on Friday that before the images were screened there
would be an announcement in the courtroom "allowing people of a sensitive
disposition and minors to leave".

He added that the video evidence screened would "not be systematic" and
would only be shown when it was "strictly necessary for exposing the
truth" at the request of one of the parties.

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Mr Pelicot has appeared in court alongside 50 co-defendants who are
accused of raping Ms Pelicot

The judge last month banned the broadcasting of such footage to the public
and press on the grounds that the images were "shocking and indecent".

However, he decided to lift the restrictions following calls from Ms
Pelicot's lawyers for the trial to be open to the public.

"If these same hearings, through their publicity, help prevent other women
from having to go through this, then she will find meaning in her
suffering," one of Ms Pelicot's lawyers, St�phane Babonneau, said.

Mr Babonneau called the ruling "a victory in a fight that should not have
been fought", adding that rape victims had for decades in French law had
the right to decide whether proceedings should be public.

The French press also campaigned for the ruling to be overturned. The
judicial press association (APJ) warned of a "serious attack" on freedom
of information.

The screening of video evidence was strongly opposed by lawyers for some
of the 50 co-defendants who are accused of raping Mr Pelicot's ex-wife.

"Justice does not need that in order to proceed, what is the point of
these revolting screenings?" said lawyer Olivier Lantelme.

The French public have been shocked by the number of men involved in the
case.

Police were only able to identify 50 suspects out of the 83 that appeared
in Dominique Pelicot�s videos.

Their ages range from 26 to 68 and they hail from all walks of life -
firefighters, pharmacists, labourers and journalists. Many are fathers and
husbands.

Of the other men accused, 15 admit rape, but all the others admit only to
taking part in sexual acts.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ce81qj2j3vlo