Gisèle Pelicot was in court to look 51 of her abusers in the eye and see them convicted for a total of 428 years.
After bravely choosing to waive her right to anonymity, the grandmother became a global feminist icon during a gruelling months-long public trial which horrified the world.
She watched her former husband of 50 years Dominique Pelicot be found guilty on Thursday and sentenced to 20 years in prison after drugging and raping her for a decade, and inviting others to join in the attack.
But without her courage and the intervention of a supermarket security guard, the horrors of the trial which has shaped France’s legal system and shocked the nation to its core may never have come to light.
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Where did he find willing participants?
The now-closed ‘Coco’ website hosted chatrooms venerating sexual violence and was not even on the dark web.
Founded in 2003 by software engineer Isaac Steidl, the site asked users to confirm that they were over 18, but they could quickly change their age once they gained access to the platform and chat with an invented username.
Over ten years Pelicot spoke to dozens of men online and asked them to rape his unconscious wife by posting: “I’m looking for a pervert accomplice to abuse my sleeping wife.”
Pelicot claimed on the forum that he and his wife shared a fetish for men having sex with her while she was asleep, not saying that she had no knowledge of his abuse.
During the trial some defendants claimed Gisèle’s ex-husband tricked them, others said he forced them to have sexual intercourse with her and that they were terrified. Others still argue they believed she was consenting or that her then-husband’s consent was sufficient.
Pelicot denied misleading the men, saying they knew exactly what they were doing.
Called “a den of predators” in France, human rights organisations, LGBTQ+ activists, and child protection associations all raised concerns over it.
After being involved in 23,000 reports of criminal activity with more than 480 victims, the website was finally shut down in June this year after France’s national anti-organised crime authority Junalco used a change in French law to hold administrators liable for activities on their sites.
How many men were involved?
Police believe 72 men had gone to the house to rape and abuse Gisèle, but they were not able to identify them all.
Most lived in south-eastern France within a 60km radius of the village of Mazan, where the Pelicots retired. One, Simoné Mekenes, 43, was their next door neighbour.
The abusers include a firefighter, a journalist, a nurse, a prison guard and a construction worker. Some are retired, some are unemployed and three-quarters have families of their own.
One knew he had HIV when he raped Gisèle on six occasions and chose not to wear a condom, according to police. She didn’t contract HIV, though she was found to have other sexually transmitted diseases, a medical expert testified.
The youngest suspect was just 22 when he entered Gisèle’s bedroom, while the oldest was in his early seventies.
Five judges at Avignon’s Palais de Justice found 47 men guilty of rape, two guilty of attempted rape and two guilty of sexual assault.
How was Dominique Pelicot finally caught?
Doctors failed to identify the years of drugging and sexual assaults committed against Gisèle, who was tested for Alzheimer’s and brain tumours in an attempt to find the cause of the mysterious blackouts she suffered.
The case only came to light in 2020, when Pelicot was caught by a security guard hiding his mobile in a bag and trying to take photographs up the skirts of female shoppers in a supermarket.
During their investigations, police discovered more than 20,000 photos and videos on his computer drives revealing the horrifying secrets he had hidden from his wife.
The police seized the two phones, a camera and a video recorder, as well as a laptop, a USB key and an SD card from his home.
Gisèle then met with the police, believing she would be told about the supermarket incident. But the police told her about the videos they found and informed her they believed Pelicot had been drugging her for years, and inviting dozens of strangers into their home to rape her.
Without the security guard’s intervention that day, the so-called rape case of Mazan might never have come to light.
Who is the security guard?
A fundraiser praised the security guard for not only carrying out his job with “remarkable diligence”, but also saving Gisèle’s life and protecting other women from abuse.
It added: “This fundraiser aims to recognise and promote the work of security guards, who are often poorly paid for difficult and arduous work, by highlighting their crucial role. Your support and collaboration are greatly appreciated.”
Rape Crisis offers support for those affected by rape and sexual abuse. You can call them on 0808 802 9999 in England and Wales, 0808 801 0302 in Scotland, and 0800 0246 991 in Northern Ireland, or visit their website at www.rapecrisis.org.uk. If you are in the US, you can call Rainn on 800-656-HOPE (4673).
