A Frenchwoman who was allegedly raped repeatedly by dozens of strangers invited to their home by her husband on Thursday said the policeman who arrested him “saved my life”.
Gisele Pelicot was speaking for the first time at the trial of Dominique Pelicot and 51 other men accused of violating her over almost a decade.
The Pelicots – who are both 71 – faced each other on Thursday in a packed courtroom in the Vaucluse Criminal Court in the city of Avignon.
Ms Pelicot, who has waived her right to anonymity, first of all thanked the lieutenant in the town of Carpentras who arrested her husband for secretly filming up women’s skirts in a supermarket.
“He saved my life and I probably wouldn’t be here without him,” said the frail mother-of-three, who was dressed in a long orange dress and white jacket.
Referring to “Mr Pelicot”, she recalled the moment he confessed to taking the seedy pictures.
In a frail voice, Ms Pelicot said: “On December 19 [2020], my husband said he had a problem with his phone and his code. I didn’t really understand. I was at my daughter’s house.
“When I returned to Mazan, our village, Mr Pelicot picked me up but had changed – he looked pale and anxious. I was worried about his health, as he prepared lunch.
“We were in the kitchen when he sat down and broke down in tears. I didn’t understand. I thought it was a health problem that had come back.
“He said he’d done something silly. I asked him what. He said he was caught in a supermarket in Carpentras filming under women’s skirts.
“In 50 years, Mr Pelicot had never taken pictures of other women. I said I forgive you, as we’ve never had any problems in 50 years. But there won’t be a next time, otherwise I’ll leave.
“He said I’m not going to do it again. I trusted it as our relationship was based on trust for the past 50 years.”
In fact, the couple are now in the process of divorcing, and Mr Pelicot remains on remand accused of a series of unspeakable crimes that could see him remain in prison for up to 20 years.
Police are said to have found images on Mr Pelicot’s camera and laptop that showed multiple alleged rapes of his wife between 2011 and 2020 – the majority committed by strangers that Mr Pelicot had found online.
Ms Pelicot described the moment her daughter, Caroline Darian, found out about the allegations that her husband had drugged her before organising the rapes.
Ms Pelicot said: “When I told my daughter, she screamed like a wild beast. I will never forget this.
“When I told my sons about this, I don’t think they really understood, they were withdrawn and didn’t react much. I think they were in a state of shock. They said don’t say such silly things.
“That evening, the children rang all the time saying don’t disappear – they were worried I might die.”
Jérémie Bosse Platière – the officer who first brought Mr Pelicot to justice – estimated that he “committed at least 200 acts of rape against his wife” before strangers became to arrive at their house in Mazan, some 20 miles from Avignon.
They had been contacted by Mr Pelicot, then working for the EDF energy company, on a libertine sex site.
Mr Bosse Platière recalled how Mr Pelicot was first caught on September 12, 2020.
“It all started with the vigilance of security personnel from a supermarket in Carpentras,” he said.
Commissioner Bosse Platière said there were hundreds of photos and pornographic videos showing “Gisele Pelicot asleep and in the presence of other individuals taking part in acts of a sexual nature.’
It was while in custody that Mr Pelicot reported a hard drive, hidden under a printer, which contained a file called Abuses.
It classified the nickname and telephone numbers of attackers, together with some 3,800 photos and videos of Gisele 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.
Mr Pelicot moved his family from greater Paris in 1991, and later allegedly set up the sex ring.
It involved advertising on a site for “partners” on an online forum called “Without Her Knowing” on the coco.fr site.
Participants would discuss performing acts on unwitting partners, and then film their depravity, before storing the videos on a USB drive.
Of the 83 men involved, 51 aged between 26 and 73 were identified and arrested by the police.
Mr Pelicot is said to have sedated his wife by putting the Temesta – a powerful anxiolytic – into her evening dinner.
He then invited strangers from the online forum into the couple's bedroom, so that his wife could be raped while unconscious.
Alleged rapists involved in the case include civil servants, ambulance workers, soldiers, prison guards, nurses, a journalist, a municipal councillor, and truck drivers.
In a separate case, Mr Pelicot has been charged with raping and murdering a 23-year-old estate agent in Paris in 1991.
He has admitted one attempted rape in 1999, after DNA testing proved a case against him.
The Avignon aggravated rape case continues, and is due to last until December 21.
