HUNDREDS have shown support for Gisele Pelicot after she waived her anonymity in a harrowing case that has shaken France and the world.
Her former husband, dubbed the ‘Beast of Avignon’ is accused of drugging her and inviting dozens of men to assault her.
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Who is Gisele Pelicot?
Gisele Pelicot stood up to face the 51 men on trial for allegedly raping her at the request of her husband, Dominique Pelicot.
The 72-year-old mother of three told how she had been left “a heap of ruins” after the ultimate betrayal by a man she had considered a “well-intentioned and nice guy” during their 51-year marriage.
Over nearly a decade, the retired electrician invited strangers to have sex with his wife as she lay drugged and defenceless in their family home in a small town in southern France.
The heavy sedatives, crumbled into her dinner, left Gisele with such severe memory loss that she feared she had Alzheimer’s.
It was only after police uncovered her husband’s secret crimes that she knew anything about the men who had attacked her night after night.
During the trial, Gisele stared at 71-year-old Pelicot, and said: “I was sacrificed by my husband for these obscenities.
“I was a woman drugged and abused.
“It was like I was dead.
“I was treated like a piece of meat.”
One of the men who’d had intercourse with Gisele was HIV positive.
The couple’s divorce was finalised last month, and Gisele has sat in court throughout the trial so far, along with her adult children.
In total, the number of attackers is believed to be 72, with a two-year-long investigation unable to identify them all.
The accused men, whose ages range from 21 to 68, include a councillor, nurse, fireman, IT worker, prison guard and a journalist.
Due to the huge number of defendants, the trial is being held in a converted exhibition centre in Avignon and is scheduled to go on until December 20.
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There is not enough room in the dock for all the accused men.
Gisele, choosing to make her identity public, resisted efforts by both prosecution and defence attorneys to exclude journalists and the public from the courtroom.
She intends to bring awareness to the issue of men drugging women before intercourse.
Some of the accused men rationalised their actions by asserting that it was allowable because “it’s his wife, he does what he likes with her”.
One individual even told the police he believed it was legal since it was recorded on video.
The first indication of trouble surfaced when Gisele, who married Pelicot in 1980 and has three children, began experiencing hair and weight loss.
She would often forget entire days and half-jokingly questioned her husband if he was drugging her.
He replied tearfully: “You actually think I could do that?”
The couple went to see her doctor together, and the GP suggested Gisele might have suffered a “brain seizure”.
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The truth only emerged four years ago after Pelicot was arrested in September 2020 for filming up the skirts of women in a supermarket in the town of Carpentras, not far from their home in Mazan.
The police seized Pelicot’s mobile phone and laptop, discovering 20,000 videos and photographs.
Many of them were in a folder titled “abuse”, showing various men performing sexual acts on Gisele while she was unconscious.
He ensured that none of the other men involved wore aftershave to prevent Gisele from detecting any unfamiliar scents on her body when waking up.
Pelicot also required them to disrobe in a separate room to avoid leaving any foreign objects under the bed and made certain his wife always woke up in her pyjamas.
Gisele told the court: “I never woke up in a different outfit.”
She now refers to her husband as “Mr Pelicot” and plans to revert to her maiden name when the trial ends.
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Gisele also denied ever allowing Pelicot to record their lovemaking and revealed that she had refused his suggestion that they try explore alternative sexual partners.
When pressed on whether she had consented to sex with any of the defendants, she replied: “It’s an insult to my intelligence.
“These individuals were totally aware of what state I was in.
“I never knowingly took part in any of these things.”
It wasn’t until December 2020 that Pelicot told her about being caught upskirting.
In a frail voice, Gisele told the packed court: “We were in the kitchen when he sat down and broke down in tears.
“He said he’d done something silly. I asked him what.
“He said he had been caught in a supermarket in Carpentras filming under women’s skirts.
“In 50 years, Mr Pelicot had never taken pictures of other women.
“I said ‘I forgive you, as we’ve never had any problems in 50 years.
“But there won’t be a next time, otherwise I’ll leave.”
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When detectives informed the grandmother of her husband’s heinous crimes, she disclosed their devastating effect on their once-happy family, leaving no room for forgiveness.
She said: “When I told my daughter, she screamed like a wild beast.
“I will never forget this.
“When I told my sons about this, I don’t think they really understood.
“They were withdrawn and didn’t react much.
“I think they were in a state of shock.
“They said, ‘Don’t say such silly things.’
“That evening, the children rang all the time saying don’t disappear — they were worried I might die.”
You’re Not Alone
EVERY 90 minutes in the UK a life is lost to suicide
It doesn’t discriminate, touching the lives of people in every corner of society – from the homeless and unemployed to builders and doctors, reality stars and footballers.
It’s the biggest killer of people under the age of 35, more deadly than cancer and car crashes.
And men are three times more likely to take their own life than women.
Yet it’s rarely spoken of, a taboo that threatens to continue its deadly rampage unless we all stop and take notice, now.
That is why The Sun launched the You’re Not Alone campaign.
The aim is that by sharing practical advice, raising awareness and breaking down the barriers people face when talking about their mental health, we can all do our bit to help save lives.
Let’s all vow to ask for help when we need it, and listen out for others… You’re Not Alone.
If you, or anyone you know, needs help dealing with mental health problems, the following organisations provide support:
Under the pen name Caroline Darian, their 45-year-old daughter wrote a book about the case in 2022, titled And I Stopped Calling You Dad.
The court heard that her father kept a file on his computer, marked “Around my daughter, naked” which contained nude images of Caroline.
She fears that she was also raped by strangers on the say-so of her father, adding: “I’m convinced I was drugged, but he’ll never admit it.”
Up until the start of the trial, this had been known as the “Mazan case” and Pelicot was only named as Dominique P.
It is thanks to Gisele that society will learn about the full horrors that were inflicted upon her.
But while she appeared largely calm and composed when facing her alleged attackers yesterday, she is hiding terrible scars that may never heal.
As she told the court: “When you look at me you think she’s strong, this woman, but inside it’s a heap of ruins.
“The facade is strong.
“Inside it’s not the same.”
HOW YOU CAN GET HELP:
Women’s Aid has this advice for victims and their families
- Always keep your phone nearby.
- Get in touch with charities for help, including the Women’s Aid live chat helpline and services such as SupportLine.
- If you are in danger, call 999.
- Familiarise yourself with the Silent Solution, reporting abuse without speaking down the phone, instead dialing “55”.
- Always keep some money on you, including change for a pay phone or bus fare.
- If you suspect your partner is about to attack you, try to go to a lower-risk area of the house – for example, where there is a way out and access to a telephone.
- Avoid the kitchen and garage, where there are likely to be knives or other weapons. Avoid rooms where you might become trapped, such as the bathroom, or where you might be shut into a cupboard or other small space.
If you are a victim of domestic abuse, SupportLine is open Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 6pm to 8pm on 01708 765200. The charity’s email support service is open weekdays and weekends during the crisis – [email protected].
Women’s Aid provides a live chat service – available weekdays from 8am-6pm and weekends 10am-6pm.
You can also call the freephone 24-hour National Domestic Abuse Helpline on 0808 2000 247.
