Man drugged wife for years, invited strangers to rape her

The daughter of Dominique Pelicot, a Frenchman on trial for inviting men to rape his drugged wife, has labeled him as “one of the worst sexual criminals of the past two decades”.

Pelicot, a 71-year-old retiree, confessed to drugging his wife with sleeping pills between 2011 and 2020, then recruiting dozens of strangers to sexually assault her in their home.

During a court session in Avignon, his 45-year-old daughter, Caroline Darian (a pen name), expressed the devastating impact of her father’s crimes. “How are we supposed to rebuild ourselves when we know what he did?” she questioned. The case—now in its fifth day—continues to shock France.

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Pelicot documented abuse

Pelicot meticulously documented the abuse, which came to light only after he was arrested for filming up women’s skirts in a supermarket. His wife, Gisele Pelicot, 71, who is currently in divorce proceedings, had been puzzled by memory lapses until police contacted her.

On Friday morning, Darian recounted discovering the abuse on 2 November 2020. Her mother revealed the horrors of her father’s actions, saying, “I spent most of the day at the police station. Your father drugged me to rape me with strangers. I was made to look at the photos.”

Darian described the moment as a “tipping point,” leading to an unbearable emotional descent. “My life was literally turned upside down,” she said, breaking down in tears.

Less than 20 minutes into the second day of the trial, Darian left the courtroom in tears. This happened when the judge revealed that Pelicot’s computer contained naked photomontages of her, stored in a folder titled “Around my daughter, naked.”

In 2022, Darian published a book titled Et j’ai cessé de t’appeler papa (And I stopped calling you dad), which details the family’s ordeal.

Wife demands public trial to expose drug-facilitated abuse

Gisele Pelicot has requested that the trial be public to raise awareness about drug-facilitated sexual abuse. The case has profoundly impacted France, with public commentary and circulating lists of accused individuals.

The family, through their lawyers, has thanked the public for their support. However, they called for “the utmost restraint on social media” during the trial. Antoine Camus, a lawyer representing the family, emphasised the need for sensitivity given the tragedy affecting all families involved, including those of the defendants.

Paul-Roger Gontard, representing two of the accused, welcomed the public trial for protecting the innocent families of suspects. Despite a crowdfunding campaign being set up for the family, Gisele Pelicot has requested its cancellation. They also requested that all existing campaigns be halted.

51 accused face up to 20 years for aggravated rape

The accused face up to 20 years in prison for aggravated rape if convicted. Of the 51 accused, 18 are in custody, including Dominique Pelicot. Thirty-two are attending the trial as free individuals, and one is being tried in absentia.

Investigators have identified approximately 200 rape incidents, with Pelicot responsible for most and more than 90 involving strangers. A list of 72 suspects has been compiled, with 50 identified and on trial. Gisele Pelicot recognised only one of her alleged rapists. The man had previously visited her husband and she later saw him at a bakery.

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