CONTENT WARNING: This article discusses rape.
French woman Gisèle Pélicot, whose husband has admitted to drugging, raping her, and inviting more than 70 men to do the same over the course of a decade, has chosen to waive her right to anonymity during his trial.
On Thursday, Gisèle, 72, took the stand to testify against her husband Dominique Pélicot and 50 other men who face up to 20 years in prison for rape. The prosecution alleges that Dominique recruited strangers online to rape his wife after he drugged her to the point of unconsciousness.
Gisèle was not aware of the abuse until 2020, when police searched her husband’s laptop after he was arrested for filming up women’s skirts in a supermarket. During the search, they found shocking images and footage of her husband of over 50 years, and 72 other men aged between 26 and 74, raping her while she lay lifeless. Out of the 72 men, 51 have been identified.
Police claim the abuse began in 2011 and continued up until Dominique was caught in 2020.
In her testimony, Gisèle stated that she believes the police saved her life by investigating her husband’s computer.
Why did Gisèle Pélicot waive her right to anonymity?
As a victim of rape, Gisèle had the right to remain anonymous and have her trial be conducted in private. However, she insisted that it was made public and that her full name was revealed. However, she insisted it be made public, because keeping it private is what “her attackers would have wanted”.
“I’m speaking for every woman who’s been drugged without knowing it,” she said, per the ABC.
“I’m taking back control of my life, to denounce chemical submission. Many women don’t have the proof. I have the proof of what I’ve been through.”
One of Gisèle’s lawyers Antoine Camus noted that the trial will be “a horrible ordeal” for her.
“For the first time, she will have to live through the rapes that she endured over 10 years,” he said, as per the BBC. But despite this, he said Gisèle was determined to have a public trial because keeping it private would be “what her attackers would have wanted.”
Another of Gisèle’s lawyers, Stephan Babonneau stated, “She wants to raise awareness, as widely as possible, of what happened to her so that events like these never happen again.”
What did Gisèle Pélicot say in her testimony?
When Gisèle took the stand, she appeared to be calm, poised and composed for the entirety of her 90-minute testimony despite the horrors she was speaking about. With her three children in court to support her, she recounted the November morning in 2020 when police showed her images and footage of her husband and strangers abusing her passed-out body.
“My world fell apart. For me, everything was falling apart. Everything I had built up over 50 years,” she said in court.
“I was sacrificed on the altar of vice. They regarded me like a rag doll, like a garbage bag.”
She told the five judges that for years she had thought she had symptoms of Alzheimer’s due to bouts of memory loss. However, when she did further tests with a specialist, Alzheimer’s was ruled out.
Giséle made it clear to the court that she was not a willing participant, nor did she and her husband participate in swinging activities.
Although she remained composed, she explained the morbid discovery had ruined her and that she will never be the same again. After that meeting with the police, she packed two suitcases and left her husband.
“All that was left for me of 50 years of life together,” she said.
“I no longer have an identity … I don’t know if I’ll ever rebuild myself.”
What happens now?
Dominique Pélicot, 71, has pleaded guilty to the charges of rape and according to his lawyer has “always declared himself guilty”.
He is standing trial alongside 50 other men. Several of the defendants are denying the accusations levelled against them, claiming that Pélicot manipulated them. If convicted, they all face up to 20 years in prison.
The trial is expected to last until December.
Help is available.
- If you require immediate assistance, please call 000.
- If you’d like to speak to someone about sexual violence, please call the 1800 Respect hotline on 1800 737 732 or chat online.
- Under 25? You can reach Kids Helpline at 1800 55 1800 or chat online.
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