French mass rape trial adjourns ahead of verdict expected on December 19

The trial of a French man and dozens of strangers who he enlisted to rape his heavily-sedated wife adjourned on Monday (December 16) for deliberations ahead of a verdict later this week, the presiding judge said. "We will head to the deliberation chamber and will not leave until we have made our decision," Roger Arata told the court, saying the delivery of the verdict had been scheduled for 0830 GMT Thursday (December 19) while cautioning the timing was "theoretical" and it could be postponed to Thursday afternoon or Friday morning.