A French pensioner sent a barrage of depraved messages to over 50 men - such as “You’re like me - you like rape mode” - when he invited them to sexually abuse his wife.
Gisele Pélicot, 72, was unknowingly given a mix of sleeping pills and tranquillisers by her husband Dominique Pélicot, 71, to knock her unconscious, so he could invite men he met online to come to his home in Mazan, near Avignon, to rape her. The horrific ordeal lasted almost a decade.
The case that has shocked France to the core only came to light after he was caught filming up women’s skirts in a supermarket in 2020. When questioned, he said he had “acted on urges”.
Police then uncovered more than 20,000 photos of Gisele being assaulted by strangers who were recruited on a forum called ‘Without her knowledge' on a now-shut-down site.
Inside the depraved message sent to more than 50 men who raped drugged woman in FranceGetty/UnknownThe abuse dates back to 2011, when the couple was living near Paris, and continued after they moved to Mazan two years later.
Due to the drugging, Gisele began to believe she was suffering from Alzheimer’s disease, whilst the years of abuse caused her to have gynaecological issues.
According to French outlet Le Point, Pélicot put strict restrictions on all the men he invited to rape his wife: no cigarettes or perfume, neat and clipped nails, and a hot water bath before touching Gisele to avoid waking her.
The men were instructed to undress in the kitchen, so they didn’t leave behind clothing which could make his wife suspicious.
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Due to the drugging, Gisele began to believe she was suffering from Alzheimer’s disease
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The 71-year-old man participated in the rapes, filmed them and encouraged the other men using degrading language, according to prosecutors.
Dominique and 51 other men are all accused of aggravated rape in a trial at the Vaucluse Criminal Court, in Avignon, which is due to last for four months.
Police uncovered evidence of Gisele being assaulted by 72 strangers - however, 22 of them have yet to be identified.
The accused rapists included a forklift driver, a fire brigade officer, a company boss and a journalist. Some were single, others married or divorced, and some were family men. Most participated just once, but some took part up to six times.
During the second day of the trial, presiding judge Roger Arata revealed to the court that photos of Pélicot’s naked daughter Caroline Darain, had also been found on the 71-year-old’s computer, inside a folder named “My Daughter Naked”.
Photos of his daughter Caroline Darain had also been found on the 71-year-old’s computer
GettyFollowing the horrific revelation, Darain stormed out of the court in tears.
Darian had already written a book about her father’s crimes and their impact on the family called And I Stopped Calling You Daddy, which was quoted during the court proceedings.
Speaking to Le Parisien this week, she said that she was “haunted by the fear” that her father may have invited men to rape her too after she discovered a photo of her “in someone else’s underwear” on his computer.
She added: “I'm convinced I was drugged, but he'll never admit it.”
The defendant has also been charged with a 1991 murder and rape, which he denies, and an attempted rape in 1999, to which he admitted after DNA testing.
The shocking trial is due to last until December 20.