French 'hypnotherapist' accused of raping 14 women goes on trial

A French dance teacher and self-proclaimed "hypnotherapist" went on trial Monday accused of drugging and sexually abusing women while filming the assaults.

The case follows a high-profile trial that shocked France in 2024, in which Dominique Pelicot admitted to drugging his wife for almost a decade and inviting dozens of men to rape her while she was unconscious.

Cyril Zattara, 47, appeared in court behind closed doors in the southern city of Aix-en-Provence, charged with raping 14 women over 10 years, as well as allegedly filming around 20 women without their knowledge.

Zattara, who has been in detention for five years, has admitted to 10 of the rape charges.

The case began in 2019 when a 24-year-old filed a complaint after a hypnosis session with the self-taught hypnotherapist. The woman said she woke up after drinking part of a glass of wine and recalled vomiting and being raped by the defendant.

His DNA was found under the young woman's fingernails and in her underwear.

The defendant would allegedly slip sleeping pills into the victims' drinks before sexually assaulting them, often targeting women with whom he was friendly or in intimate relationships, according to the investigation.

When the victims woke up, dazed and sometimes undressed, Zattara would attribute their condition to hypnosis or blame it on alcohol, according to the investigation.

But blood and hair tests showed that the victims had ingested tranquillisers.

Investigators also found photos and videos on Zattara's computer that showed the alleged victims in a lethargic state during sexual intercourse.

Judge Roger Arata ordered the trial to be held behind closed doors at the request of a lawyer for one of the civil parties. Other victims argued the trial be open to the public.

The same judge ruled in favour of Gisele Pelicot's decision to waive her anonymity and allow the public into the courtroom during the trial to raise awareness about sexual violence.

She famously said that it was time for the perpetrators -- and not the victims -- to be ashamed. Dominique Pelicot was jailed for 20 years.

But outside the court in Zattara's case, the mother of one of the civil parties, who wished to remain anonymous, said she understood the decision to hold a closed trial.

"They say shame has shifted to the other side, but that's not always true," she said.