French Rape Trial: Wife Testifies After Alleged Decade-Long Abuse Orchestrated by Husband
Gisèle Pélicot, a 72-year-old French woman, took the stand on Thursday in Avignon, testifying in a horrific case where she alleges her husband drugged and filmed her while over 50 men raped her across a decade. Her now ex-husband, Dominique Pélicot, 71, is accused of orchestrating and recording the assaults without her knowledge.
During her emotional testimony, Gisèle described the devastation of discovering the truth after 50 years of marriage. She revealed that she has seen the recordings, stating, “When you see this woman, drugged, mistreated, dead on a bed—of course the body is warm, but I am like dead.” The assaults, recorded by Dominique, involved over 70 men.
Gisèle requested a public trial to stand strong for her grandchildren. She mentioned outside the courtroom that defense lawyers are trying to trap her, but she remains determined to tell her story.
The case was exposed in 2020 when Dominique was caught by a security guard taking inappropriate up-skirt photos of women in a supermarket. A subsequent investigation revealed videos of multiple men raping Gisèle in their home while she appeared unconscious. The investigation also confirmed that Gisèle contracted several sexually transmitted diseases during the decade of abuse.
The court also heard that a nude photo of their adult daughter, Caroline Darian, was found on Dominique’s phone, adding to the disturbing details of the case. Dominique and 50 other men face rape charges, with Dominique accused of filming 20,000 videos of his wife’s assaults.
The trial, which began earlier this week, is expected to run through December, and Dominique could face decades in prison if convicted.