For nine years, from July 2011 to October 2020, Dominique Pelicot, a man from Mazan in south-eastern France, would drug his wife, rape her, and invite strangers to rape her while she was unconscious multiple times. Gisèle Pelicot, did not know of the abuse during this time. She was raped 92 times by 72 men while her husband filmed them.[1]
The crimes were discovered in September 2020 when Dominique Pelicot was arrested for taking upskirt photographs of women in a supermarket.[2] The police investigation found thousands of images and videos of men raping his wife on his computer equipment.
The trial began in Avignon where Dominique Pelicot and 50 other men accused of rape, attempted rape or sexual assault on 2 September 2024.[3] It ended on 16 December with all 51 accused were convicted, with Pelicot receiving the maximum 20-year prison term.[4] Pelicot was also found guilty of taking images of his daughter and two daughters-in-law and the attempted rape of the wife of co-defendant Jean-Pierre Marechal.[5]
Gisèle Pelicot's did not want her identity or the trial to be anonymous and wanted a public trial.[6] The trial received worldwide media attention and Pelicot was seen as a hero.[7]
After Dominique Pelicot was found guilty, supporters thanked Gisèle Pelicot for her bravery.[8] She was thanked by French President Emanuel Macron for her "dignity and courage",[9] and also applauded by foreign leaders such as Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, as well as the international press.[10][11]
