Pelicot mass rape case: Mayor of French town apologizes for downplaying comments [Video]

MAZAN, France –

The mayor of a French town making headlines for the trial of dozens of men accused of rapes that occurred there over almost a decade has apologized for comments that appeared to downplay the case.

“I have been criticized for minimizing the seriousness of the heinous crimes of which the defendants are accused,” Louis Bonnet, the mayor of Mazan in southern France, said in a statement Thursday. “I understand that these remarks are shocking and I sincerely apologize.”

Dominique Pelicot, 71, told the court this week in the nearby city of Avignon that for nearly 10 years he drugged his wife and invited dozens of men to rape her as she lay defenceless.

In an interview with the BBC, Bonnet said the case could have been far more serious.

“There were no children involved, no women were killed, the family will have a hard time but they can rebuild. After …