A disturbing trial has just started in France.
A husband is accused of drugging his wife for nearly a decade and allowing more than 80 strangers to rape her in their home.
Dominique Pélicot, a father of three, is on trial alongside 50 men accused of participating in the abuse.
This case has deeply shocked everyone.
Protesters gathered outside the courthouse as the trial began, showing their support for Gisèle.
They were there to give her all the encouragement she needed.
Judge Roger Arata announced that all hearings would be public.
This decision honors Gisèle Pélicot's request for full transparency.
 |
| Gisèle Pélicot |
Gisèle Pélicot, who has no memory of the abuse, only discovered the horrifying events in 2020.
According to police, Dominique Pélicot secretly mixed sleeping pills and anti-anxiety medication into Gisèle’s food and wine.
This took place at their home in Mazan, Provence.
He then recruited men from an online chatroom dedicated to fantasies of non-consensual sex to rape her.
Dominique Pélicot gave them strict instructions to avoid alerting his wife.
He instructed them not to wear perfumes or smoke.
He also told them to leave if she showed any signs of waking.
The abuse came to light after Pélicot was caught filming women at a local supermarket in November 2020.
A search of his computer revealed a file containing 20,000 images and videos.
These pictures and videos documented the rapes, many of which he filmed himself.
He later admitted to drugging his wife, offering her to strangers, and recording the assaults.
 |
| Dominique Pélicot |
The trial includes a wide range of defendants.
This includes a local councillor, nurses, a former police officer, and civil servants.
The men accused of the abuse are between 26 and 73 years old.
Some defendants say they didn’t know Gisèle Pélicot did not consent.
However, investigators found that she was drugged almost to the point of being unconscious and had no memory of the attacks.
Gisèle Pélicot, now divorced, had previously thought her symptoms were related to an unexplained illness.
Her family even suspected Alzheimer’s, as she frequently experienced blackouts and memory loss.
It wasn't until 2020 that she learned the horrifying truth.
Her lawyer, Stéphane Babonneau, described how she once woke up with a different haircut.
She was told by her hairdresser that she had visited the previous day, but she didn’t remember any of it.
Despite calls from the defense to hold the trial behind closed doors, Gisèle insisted on a public hearing.
She believes it was vital for justice to be served openly.
Her legal team argued that shielding the trial from the public eye would only benefit her abusers.
On the other hand, the prosecutor argued that the crimes' extreme nature and graphic evidence warranted privacy.
However, the court ultimately sided with Gisèle, allowing the public to witness the proceedings.
Dominique Pélicot, now 71, is also accused of a 1991 rape and murder of a 23-year-old estate agent in Paris.
Authorities say there is DNA evidence linking him to the crime.
If convicted, he and the 50 other defendants face up to 20 years in prison for aggravated rape.
The trial is expected to last four months.
Stay updated on this developing case by subscribing to our True Crime newsletter here.
In another case, a teenager is accused of killing his mother one year after he killed his dad.
Click here for more details on the case.
Comments
Post a Comment