A man accused of drugging his wife at the time and recruiting dozens of men to rape her admitted to various criminal charges on Tuesday in a court in Avignon, France.

The accused faces charges including rape, gang rape and various privacy breaches by recording and disseminating sexual images.

What did the accused say in the trial?

"I admit to the charges in their entirety," the 71-year-old suspect, Dominique Pelicot, said.

"I am a rapist just like all the others in the room," he said, referring to 50 other men accused of rape who were also on trial.

"I ask for forgiveness, even if it is not acceptable," he said.

Prosecutors have said Pelicot offered sex with his wife, Gisele Pelicot, on a website and filmed the abuse.

Pelicot told the courtroom he had suffered what he called "traumas" during his childhood and had been a victim of rape himself.

Some of the other defendants have claimed that they believed the suspect's wife was pretending to be asleep and had consented to sex.

If found guilty, the defendants face up to 20 years in jail.

According to a police report, naked images of his daughter and two stepdaughters were found on his computer.

Victim seeks to shed light on sexual violence

Gisele Pelicot insisted on a public trial to expose him and the other defendants and to shed light on sexual violence, according to her lawyers.

During the trial, she said: "It is difficult to hear from the mouth of Mr Pelicot what he has just said."

On Saturday, hundreds of people gathered in cities across the country to show support for her.

sdi/sms (Reuters, AFP, AP)