Paris [France], September 8: The French public was abuzz this week about the shocking trial of Dominique Pelicot, 71, who admitted to drugging his wife, Gisele Pelicot, and inviting dozens of strangers to rape her over a period of 10 years (2011-2020).
Police only discovered Mr Pelicot had kept records of his wife's abuse by accident after catching him filming up a woman's skirt in a supermarket.
AFP reported that the daughter Caroline Darian (45 years old) spoke in court on September 6, saying that she learned about the abuse of her mother on November 2, 2020, after Gisele revealed it to investigators. Ms. Darian described her father Dominique as "probably one of the most terrible sex offenders in 20 years".
"My life was turned upside down. It was what you call the tipping point, the beginning of a slow descent into hell, without knowing how far you could go," Darian said through tears on the fifth day of the trial on September 6 in the city of Avignon, France.
"My mother told me that she spent most of her time at the police station. Her father drugged her and brought strangers to rape her. She was forced to look at pictures of the incident. How can we cope when we know what he did?" Darian said.
In 2022, Darian published the book Et j'ai cesse de t'appeler papa (And I Stopped Calling Him Dad), about discovering a crime in the family.
During the September 3 trial, the judge also mentioned that nude photos of Ms. Darian were discovered on Mr. Dominique Pelicot's computer with a folder titled "Around my daughter, naked."
Investigators have identified 200 rapes, most of them by Gisele Pelicot's husband and more than 90 by strangers. French authorities have also drawn up a list of 72 suspects in addition to the husband, and have so far identified 50 (aged 26 to 74), all of whom have appeared in court.
Gisele said on September 5 that she had only identified one of the alleged rapists, a man who had often visited the couple's home to discuss cycling with Dominique. She added that she had suffered from a strange memory loss for years until she contacted the police.
Gisele had asked for her husband to be tried publicly to raise awareness of the use of drugs for sexual abuse. The case has shocked France, with many commenting on social media and some even releasing a list of the defendants.
Gisele's lawyer said she and her family were grateful for the public's support, but urged restraint online regarding information about the case. Lawyers Antoine Camus and Stephane Babonneau issued a statement saying Gisele did not want a crowdfunding campaign and called for any plans to end. At least one person has set up a crowdfunding campaign for Gisele's family.
The suspects face up to 20 years in prison for aggravated rape if convicted. The trial is scheduled to last until December 20.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper
