Dominique Pelicot: Ex-wife reacts in court as 'Monster of Avignon' jailed for 20 years in historic rape case
Speaking in court on Thursday, Dominique Pelicot said: "I am guilty of what I did. I subjected my wife, my children, my grandchildren to this. I regret what I did. I ask for forgiveness even if it is not forgivable"
One of the worst sexual predators in French history - who admitted drugging his wife and allowing multiple strangers to rape her - has today been jailed for 20 years.
During a landmark trial that saw Dominique Pelicot stand to face justice alongside 50 other men, he told the court: "I am a rapist, like everyone else in this courtroom." The white haired 71-year-old grandfather appeared in the dock at the Vaucluse Criminal Court, in Avignon, and told the world what he did to Gisele, his wife of 50 years.
Before proceedings were set to get underway, retired electrician Pelicot was rushed from court after apparently feeling unwell and in pain. It is also claimed he was found vomiting and fainting in his cell before being rushed to hospital. It meant the case was adjourned several times.
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His lawyer Madame Beatrice Zavarro told French media that the father was suffering from a kidney infection, had a bladder stone and problems with his prostate. She also said he wasn't getting the appropriate treatment in prison.
When he did eventually take the stand, his bombshell remarks left his fellow accused with nowhere to hide. Pelicot owned up to crimes that had seen his own daughter describe him as "one of the greatest sexual predators" of recent years.
He said: "Today, I maintain that, with the obligations we all have, I am a rapist, like everyone in this room. They cannot say otherwise." Pelicot also focused on crimes he had allegedly suffered as a child, saying he was raped as a nine-year-old and then forced to witness another sex attack when he was 14.
"I remember nothing from my youth but shocks and traumas," said Pelicot. But all this changed, he said, when he met his wife as a teenager. "I was very happy with her. She was the opposite of my mother, who was completely rebellious. We had three children, and grandchildren, whom I never touched."
Offering further mitigation, Pelicot said: "I am accused of many things. We are not born perverts, we become them. Even if it is paradoxical, I have never considered my wife as an object."
Then - in hugely dramatic scenes in court - Gisele Pelicot was given permission to react immediately to her ex-husband's opening words. Ms Pelicot told the court: "For me, it is difficult to hear it. For 50 years, I lived with a man who I would never have imagined for a single second that he could do these acts. I had complete confidence in this man."
In turn, Dominique Pelicot then pleaded for sympathy, saying: "I am guilty of what I did. I subjected my wife, my children, my grandchildren to this. I regret what I did. I ask for forgiveness even if it is not forgivable."
He said Ms Pelicot - from whom he has now divorced - "did not deserve this". At the end of the short statement, Ms Pelicot lowered her head, putting her sunglasses on. Pelicot had been on remand since 2020, when he was first arrested on suspicion of gassing and then raping Ms Pelicot, while inviting men he contacted on line to do the same.
Pelicot's daughter, Caroline Darian, 46, told the court he secretly photographed her in the nude, along with her two sister-in-laws. This was at the same family home in Mazan, some 20 miles from Avignon, where Pelicot had invited the rapists. Pelicot was first arrested in September 2020 for secretly filming up women's skirts at a supermarket in Carpentras.
His devices were searched, and there were hundreds of pornographic videos and photos of women. It was while in custody that Pelicot said there was a hard drive hidden under a printer that contained a file called 'Abuses'.
It contained the nicknames and telephone numbers of attackers, together with some 3,800 photos and videos of Ms Pelicot being raped, between 2011 and 2020. Detectives have listed a total of 92 rapes committed by 72 men, 51 of whom have been identified.
The Dublin Rape Crisis Centre issued a statement in response to the sentencing of Dominique Pelicot on Thursday. Rachel Morrogh, Chief Executive of Dublin Rape Crisis Centre said: “The guilty verdicts delivered by the French court today are warmly welcomed by Dublin Rape Crisis Centre. We salute Gisèle Pelicot as the exceptional person she is and celebrate not just her victory, but the enduring legacy it will have beyond the courtroom.
“She has said that “shame must change sides.” We in Dublin Rape Crisis Centre keenly feel this also, where our clients share the reality of being a victim of sexual violence and the blame and shame many are forced to endure.
“The case sickened people around the globe and opened up conversations about the meaning of consent, the staggering number of willing participants and the dehumanisation of victims. It also underscored fears amongst women that nowhere is safe, even your own home. Gisèle Pelicot was was raped for a decade in her own bed by scores of men, their only connection being their decision to sexually assault and rape an unconscious woman.
“While people in Ireland may think that Gisèle Pelicot’s case is unusual and unique, there are aspects that are all too common here too. From our work in the area of sexual consent, Dublin Rape Crisis Centre knows that there is still a long way to go before it is fully understood and practiced by everyone here.
“We also know that the stigma that still surrounds sexual violence creates barriers to people speaking about what happened to them. As Gisèle Pelicot experienced, perpetrators can hide in the dark shadows of silence while victims carry the burden of trauma alone. In Ireland, only half of people who have experienced sexual violence ever tell another person, and even fewer get support in the form of psychological support or medical help.
“In Ireland, a woman’s risk of experiencing sexual violence in her lifetime is higher than her risk of being diagnosed with cancer. Our Government has acknowledged an “epidemic” of sexual violence exists. In the UK, police have declared violence against women a ‘national emergency’ in England and Wales.
“Given this high risk of sexual violence, girls are told from a young age that the world is not a safe place. They are instructed that to navigate this unsafe world, they must impose controls on their own behaviours - how they dress, how much they drink, who they mix with and how they get home. But all of us should have both the expectation that we can live a life free from sexual violence and that we should not have to limit our lives to try and achieve it, just because we are female. The responsibility for keeping women safe from violence by men cannot rest only with women.
“The cases of Gisèle Pelicot in France and Nikita Hand in Ireland have united women and men in their determination to eliminate sexual violence. Now we have the challenge to sustain momentum to achieve this goal, and Dublin Rape Crisis Centre will continue to push, advocate and agitate for this that. Until then, we stand in solidarity with all victims and survivors and are here for any person who has been affected by sexual violence of any form.”
Free, confidential & non-judgmental support for anyone affected by sexual violence is available on the 24-hour National Helpline on 1800 778888.
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