By Evridiki Fatolia,
A horrible sexual assault case unfolding in France is adding to the country’s greater struggle with abuse against women. Dominique Pelicot, a 71-year-old French man, is accused of drugging and raping his wife, Gisèle Pelicot, along with dozens of other men, inviting them to sexually abuse her while she was asleep. Dominique Pelicot, who admitted to regularly raping his wife over the course of a decade, is now on trial, alongside 50 other defendants accused of sexual assault or attempted sexual assault. Some of these defendants accepted their guilt, while others disputed it.
Despite the possibility of a private trial, Gisèle Pelicot herself chose to make the proceedings public in order to support and raise awareness for other victims of similar crimes. “I speak for all women who are drugged and are unaware of it, and I do so on behalf of all women who may never know“, Gisèle Pelicot said of her case, proving all the more that she is a survivor. Police examined almost 20,000 photographs her husband took of the incidents to infer that 72 males raped her between 2011 and 2020.
Dominique Pelicot’s assaults on his wife were uncovered by police in November 2020, after he was initially questioned for photographing women’s skirts, which is of course sexual harassment, at a supermarket in southeastern France, where the couple resided. After Pelicot was caught shooting the images, police investigated his computer and discovered a folder labelled “Abuses”, on a linked USB drive. They discovered thousands of images and films of Pelicot and other guys raping his wife while she was asleep. “My world fell apart“, Gisèle Pelicot said when police told her about their discovery.
Gisèle Pelicot was discovered by police, suffering from memory lapses, hair loss, and weight loss. She was suspected of acquiring Alzheimer’s disease. Dominique Pelicot, her spouse, often administered drugs to her, including Temesta, which is usually used to calm anxiety. While asleep, Pelicot invited and encouraged guys to rape her. These abusers were discovered on Coco’s chat board “without their knowledge”. The defendants’ ages ranged from 26 to 74, and several had partners and came from diverse backgrounds, which dismisses the idea of a “rapist profile”. Police also discovered naked photographs of Gisèle’s daughter, Caroline Darian.
Gisèle and Darian Pelicot testified in a rape case, describing the horror they witnessed through their abuser’s tapes and images. Pelicot claimed that her husband, Dominique Pelicot, was the worst sexual predator in the last 20 years. Pelicot and Darian are concerned that their relationships will not be stable or safe again. The individuals have been charged with aggravated rape or attempted rape, and several face up to 20 years in jail if convicted. The case runs until December and, hopefully, justice will prevail.
Reference
- French village torn apart by horror of mass rape trial. BBC News. Available here
