Gisele Pelicot, who was left ‘completely destroyed’ after she found out she was drugged and raped by her husband and 50 other men, has revealed the horrific way she discovered the truth
For years Gisele Pelicot thought her husband Dominique was her soulmate, helping her through her health issues and standing by her side when she needed him most.
What she didn’t know was that he was crushing sleeping tablets and anti-anxiety medication into her food and drinks and inviting men to rape her over a nine-year period from 2011 to 2020. Now 72-year-old Gisele has revealed how she discovered she was the victim of such horrific crimes.
It’s a case that has shocked the world – Dominique Pelicot is currently facing trial in France accused of drugging and raping his wife and inviting dozens of other men to rape her while she was unconscious. His wife Gisele has waived her right to anonymity and says, although she feels totally destroyed, she wants to show other rape victims they are not the ones to blame. But how did she find out about her husband’s horrific crimes?
According to reports, the revelation came to light after a store security guard caught Pelicot shooting video up unsuspecting women’s skirts in 2020. Police searched his home and found thousands of pornographic photos and videos on his phone, laptop and USB stick. Speaking in court, Gisèle said she felt totally betrayed when she found out.
“I wish I could still call him Dominique,” she said. “We lived together for 50 years, I was a happy, fulfilled woman. You were a caring, attentive husband, and I never doubted you. We shared laughter and tears. I am trying to understand how this man, who to me was perfect, could have done this. How can he have betrayed me at this point? How could you let these strangers into my bedroom?”
The victim’s husband has admitted he recruited men online to rape Gisèle over the course of a decade, while she was under the effect of sedatives and sleeping pills. The unprecedented trial in France is exposing how pornography, chatrooms and men’s disdain for or hazy understanding of consent is fuelling rape culture. Last year, French authorities registered 114,000 victims of sexual violence, including more than 25,000 reported rapes.
However, experts say most rapes go unreported due to a lack of tangible evidence. About 80 per cent of women don’t press charges, and 80 per cent of the ones who do see their case dropped before it is investigated. A total of 50 men were identified by police from films found at Dominique Pelicot’s home. The men on trial alongside him could face sentences of up to 20 years in prison if convicted.
In total, 49 men are accused of rape, one of attempted rape and one of sexual assault. Five others are also accused of possessing child abuse imagery. Aged between 26 and 74, the accused include a nurse, a journalist, a prison officer, a local councillor, a soldier, lorry drivers and farm workers.
