A landmark mass rape case in France has seen 51 men handed jail sentences for a near decade of abuse of a French grandmother. A total of 21 more were reportedly not identified, leaving police worried they could strike again
Gisèle Pélicot’s own husband was the prime offender in the mass rape trial that sickened the world.
Dominique Pélicot orchestrated nine years of sexual violence against his wife, raping her repeatedly and inviting dozens of other men to do the same. The twisted grandfather used powdered medication to drug his wife’s evening meal, sending her into such a deep sleep she wouldn’t wake up while vile acts were being committed against her.
He learned his craft on the internet, where he went on to invite local accomplices to join in, filming them as they sexually assaulted his other half of 50 years. Today, 72-year-old Pélicot was sentenced to 20 years in prison for aggravated rape of his ex-wife, attempted rape of one of the wives of his co-accused and for taking indecent images of his daughter, Caroline, and his daughters-in-law, Aurore and Celine.
A total of 50 men stood beside him, with 46 guilty of rape, two guilty of attempted rape and two guilty of sexual assault. But according to reports, police found more than 70 abusers.
After nine years of heavily sedating his wife so he and dozens of others could assault her, the ‘Monster of Avignon”s downfall began in 2020 when he was arrested in the supermarket for filming up women’s skirts. Police confiscated two phones and his laptop and discovered 20,000 videos and photos of Gisèle being raped by her then-husband and dozens of other men.
Gisèle’s abusers worked in all manners of professions, from a mirror maker to a baker, were young and old and of different ethnicities. They have been dubbed ‘Monsieur-Tout-Le-Monde’ in France, which means ‘Mr Everyman’.
While 51 men were sentenced today, Pélicot invited many more to rape his wife. According to the BBC, the police identified more than 50 men in total while 21 remained nameless. The Telegraph also reported that when police trawled through 20,000 digital images, they counted 92 rapes committed by 72 men, of whom only 51 were formally identified – leaving 21 avoiding the courts.
The identification of men took place by cross-checking the faces on the videos and photos with the names of the men carefully logged by Pélicot, using facial recognition technology to assist. Nearly all of them were subsequently charged but 21 predators allegedly remain unidentified.
In addition to wanting all of the grandmother’s attackers brought to justice, director of the investigation Jérémie Bosse Platière highlighted an extra concern – some of the men who were not identified told Pélicot they were also drugging their partners.
“That, for me, is the most painful part of the case,” Mr Bosse Platière said, according to the BBC. “To know that there are some women out there who could still be victims of their husbands.”
Speaking after the conclusion of the case, Gisèle, 72, described the trial as a ‘very difficult ordeal’. Of her three children and her grandchildren, she said: “They are the future, it is also for them that I took on this battle.”
“I’m also thinking of the many victims who are not recognised, whose stories often remain in the shadows,” added the brave survivor. “I want you to know that we share the same battle.”
If you are affected by the issues raised in this article, contact SARSAS on [email protected] or reach out for NHS advice on help after rape or sexual assault.