Dominique was arrested for upskirting a stranger woman in a supermarket near his home. No one ever doubted Dominique and that kind of immoral activity was not expected of him. He was a simpleton who lived an everyday life with his family, that is, his wife Gisele, children and grandchildren. The neighbourhood was surprised to hear the news about Dominique’s arrest. For people around him, Dominique was a devoted husband, loving father and doting grandfather. According to his wife, Gisele, Dominique was caring, and she hardly doubted him during their five decades of marriage.
In November 2020, it was shocking for the family that Dominque was arrested for improper sexual conduct. That incident changed everything about their lives. Police searched Dominique’s phones and other electronic equipment for further proof. It was like a ‘Pandora’s box’ opening. The investigators found that Dominique stored a considerable number of pornography pics and videos on his gadgets.
The most distressing and strange recovery was that of his wife Gisele’s pics of voyeurism with many other men. Investigating officers could not believe it when they discovered 20,000 sexual abuse and rape videos and photographs of Gisele on her husband’s phone, computers and hard drives. Another strange thing was that Gisele appeared to be knocked out entirely in those videos. Questioning Gisele made it more apparent that she was unaware of those things. Gisele told them that she slept like a log at night and felt sleepy most days.
These videos and pics from 2011 to 2020 were almost a decade long. On further questioning, Dominique opened up many cans full of disgusting and filthy worms and secrets. He agreed to the authority that he drugged his wife, Gisele, by spiking her food and drinks with a potent concoction of anti-anxiety medication and sleeping pills. He also invited many men to sleep with his wife through the dark web.
The above story is a real one of mass rape that happened in Mazan near Carpentras in the south of France. Dominique Pelicot brought home at least 73 men to rape his unconscious wife. He laced Gisele’s food and wine, rendering her almost comatose. Dominique accepted that he was guilty of upskirting, voyeurism, drugging his wife and inviting strangers into their home to rape Gisele so that he could shoot their videos. This story shook the world because of the heinous nature of abuse and degradation that happened to an ordinary wife, which continued for a decade.
“I refuse to be humiliated. I refuse to be degraded by you, because all of that shame you want me to feel actually belongs to you.”
Gisele Pelicot, unlike other victims, disagreed to cover her face and waived her anonymity; instead, she came out with courage and said this.
Gisele’s decision to openly face the media and the Court was highly appreciated and celebrated worldwide. She further told in an interview, “There were signs. I just didn’t see them at the time.” Gisele’s lethargy, unexplained gynaecological problems, physical pains, and sleepiness all were neglected and attributed to her age, stress, and exhaustion.
When I read this story, I felt extremely sick and wanted to throw up badly. The disgusting actions of a husband for his need for power and control and the extent to which he degraded his woman are mind-boggling.
It further disgusted me when I read about the Dominique’s split personality disorder angle by defense lawyers. Split Personality or Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID), is a mental health condition that involves a person having two or more distinct identities. I strongly rubbish this theory, as according to me, Dominque knew what he was doing and was fully aware of his actions. He used his wife and sold her and shot her getting sexually assaulted by other men, because it was less risky and convenient for him. Dominique did not think that he would ever be caught for his perverted actions.
According to Kerry Daynes, a consultant forensic psychologist, Dominique Pelicot is a ‘career criminal‘, a sexual deviant who developed a fetish and abused and degraded women. Gisele and Dominique Pelicot’s daughter, Caroline, in her French book, Et j’ai cessé de t’appeler papa (And I stopped calling you father), describes how she is tormented by the idea of getting abused by her father. She questions herself: was she, too, a victim? What a horrifying thought a daughter can have of her father.
Dominique was sentenced to 20 years of life imprisonment for his sexual crimes in December 2024. The French Court found 50 other men (from age 22 to 70) guilty of aggravated rape and sexual assault too. It sentenced them to three to fifteen years of imprisonment. Gisele’s family stood firm with their abused mother and supported her throughout the trial. Gisele and her family refused to accept Dominique’s pleas for forgiveness.
Gisele Pelicot (now 72) gained the utmost respect and became a symbol of resilience and courage. She demanded the Court to show the recordings of her serial abuse openly in the hope that it might help other abused victims to speak up. For me, Gisele Pelicot, the daughter of a French Soldier, is the symbol of bravery and dignity. Her determination to not sit in the victimhood and to fight against the abuse is praiseworthy.
There are many sexual predators among us whose perversity comes out in different ways. Abuse does not define gender, age, form, act, or range- it can happen to anyone, anyform, anytime and anywhere.
Let’s create awareness and say NO TO ABUSE in whatever form it is.
–Habeeba Waseem, Founder & Lifeskills Coach, MindsOnFleek
Everyone should be taught about sexual education