Gisèle Pelicot no longer possesses any family photographs with her husband. It was November 2011, and she found herself sleeping excessively. Despite her frustration at wasting precious weekends in slumber, she couldn’t seem to stay awake, often dozing off without realizing it and waking up hours later with no recollection of going to bed. Gisèle, aged 58, was content, grateful to have her husband Dominique by her side after 38 years of marriage. With their children now grown, they were making plans to retire in Mazan, a quaint village in Provence, France. Their relationship had weathered challenges, including financial difficulties and Gisèle’s past affair, but they had managed to overcome them.
However, their idyllic retirement plans took a drastic turn when it was revealed that Dominique had been engaging in illicit online activities, leading to a shocking revelation during a court trial. He had been sent photos of his unconscious wife by an anonymous individual and was instructed on how to drug her to keep her asleep while engaging in disturbing and violating acts. This behavior escalated over the years, with Dominique involving other men in the abuse of his wife, filming the acts without her consent.
As the abuse continued, Gisèle’s health deteriorated, leading to weight loss, hair loss, and increased anxiety. Her family became concerned as they noticed changes in her behavior and appearance. Gisèle started to have suspicions, noticing strange occurrences, but her husband always managed to deflect her inquiries. It wasn’t until a visit to the police station that the full extent of Dominique’s actions was uncovered, changing everything for Gisèle and her family. AFP reported that Gisèle experienced gynaecological issues and underwent multiple neurological tests to rule out Alzheimer’s or a brain tumour, which she feared. However, the results did not explain her increasing fatigue and blackouts.
Years later, during the trial, Dominique’s brother Joel, a doctor, questioned why medical professionals had not connected the dots and realized Gisèle was a victim of drug-facilitated rape. Gisèle only felt relief when she was away from Mazan, a fact she barely noticed.
In September 2020, upon returning from a trip, Dominique confessed to Gisèle about filming women under their clothes in a supermarket, a behavior he had never exhibited before. Despite forgiving him, she asked him to seek help, which he agreed to. However, Gisèle sensed that the end was near.
After Dominique’s arrest for filming women in the supermarket, police found over 20,000 videos and photos on his devices of Gisèle being raped by him and others. This revelation shattered Gisèle’s world.
The investigation team identified 54 men from the videos, with 21 remaining unidentified. Some of the unidentified men admitted to drugging their partners, which deeply troubled the investigators.
During a confrontation at a police station in November 2020, Gisèle learned about her husband’s crimes, leading to a devastating realization that upended her life. She had to inform her children of the horrifying truth.
Gisèle later decided to speak out about her experience, advocating for awareness about drug-facilitated rape. She sought justice by allowing the videos to be shown in court to dispel any notion of accidental rape.
The trial, where Gisèle waived her anonymity, drew global attention to the story of a husband who drugged his wife for years and allowed strangers to rape her. Despite the trauma, Gisèle showed remarkable resilience and strength throughout the ordeal. AFP Ella se hizo llamar Pelicot para el juicio para que sus nietos pudieran estar “orgullosos” de estar relacionados con ella y no avergonzados de estar asociados a Dominique.
Desde entonces, se ha mudado a un pueblo lejos de Mazan. Ve a un psiquiatra pero no toma ninguna medicación, porque ya no quiere ingerir ninguna sustancia. Sigue saliendo a pasear largos, pero ya no está cansada.
En los primeros días del juicio, el esposo de Caroline, Pierre, tomó la palabra.
Un abogado defensor le preguntó sobre los años en Mazan, cuando Gisèle sufría de pérdida de memoria y su esposo la acompañaba diligentemente a citas médicas infructuosas. ¿Cómo la familia no se dio cuenta de lo que estaba sucediendo?
Pierre sacudió la cabeza.
“Estás olvidando una cosa”, dijo. “No puedes imaginar lo inimaginable.”