You left me a heap of ruins, gang-raped wife tells alleged abusers

A defiant grandmother told a courtroom full of her abusers she “had it all” before her happy middle-class marriage was reduced to “ruins” when she learned she was the unwitting victim of France’s largest rape case.

All week, Gisele Pelicot, 72, remained stoically silent as the criminal court in Avignon, southern France, heard harrowing details of how her husband had enlisted more than 70 men online to rape her in their quiet Provence home over 10 years after he drugged her unconscious.

Dominique Pelicot, 71, kept 20,000 photos and films of his wife being raped 200 times under deep sedation, sometimes over six-hour periods. The nightmarish reality was only revealed by chance after he was arrested for secretly filming up women’s skirts in a supermarket in 2020.

In a long orange dress, white jacket and auburn bob, Ms Pelicot left her three adult children’s side to take to the stand, calmly giving her maiden name and age.

When the judge said he would do his best not to ask her “disturbing” questions, she replied: “Given what I have been through, nothing disturbs me.” She then told the court she would try not to talk for too long to not “send the room to sleep”.

‘Feelings of disgust’

A large part of that room was made up of the 51 defendants, including her husband, on trial for aggravated rape and who face up to 20 years in jail. She chose to waive her right to anonymity to raise awareness of date rape drugs and so that “shame changes sides”.

One of five professional magistrates asked Ms Pelicot what she felt about her husband pleading guilty.

She replied: “Feelings of disgust. We had everything, we had a great life. I don’t understand how this could have happened.

“We had it all, everything we needed to be happy,” she told the court.

Strikingly self-controlled and dignified during her hour-long testimony, she likened herself to a “boxer who has hit the floor but keeps standing up”. Her loving upbringing by a military father after her mother died of cancer when she was nine taught her resilience.

“I am trying to keep on my feet for my children.”

But she warned her Mother Courage exterior hid inner torment. “When people see me, they say: ‘She’s a strong woman’. The facade looks solid, but inside, it’s a pile of ruins. Everything needs to be rebuilt.”

‘Take responsibility for your acts’

She repeatedly insisted that she knew nothing of her husband’s warped sexual fantasies that he played out at their home in the Provence village of Mazan.

Pelicot and 14 of his co-accused have admitted to rape. But 35 men – from all walks of life – deny that they forced themselves on Ms Pelicot while she was unconscious, claiming that she in some way consented to libertine sex.

One of her lawyers asked her in court on Thursday: “Some of the defendants admit the facts, others contest all the facts, and others confirm they were present but deny it was rape.

“You caught four sexually transmitted diseases and were exposed to HIV six times. What have you got to say to people who claim you consented to all this?”

She replied: “All I have to say is, it’s an insult to my intelligence. These individuals were totally aware of what state I was in. I never knowingly took part in any of these things.

“To those who deny this was rape, I say to them for once in your life, take responsibility for your acts.”

‘Scenes of horror’

She described the moment in November 2020 when investigators first showed her the images of a decade of sexual abuse orchestrated and filmed by her husband, calling it “an explosion, a tsunami”.

“My world is falling apart. For me, everything is falling apart. Everything I have built up over 50 years,” she said.

“Frankly, these are scenes of horror for me,” she said of the pictures, while her husband listened with his head bowed.

“I’m lying motionless on the bed, being raped,” she said of the “barbaric” footage.

“They treat me like a rag doll, a rubbish bag,” she told the judges, adding that she had only plucked up the courage to watch the footage in May 2024.

“Don’t talk to me about sex scenes. These are rape scenes,” she said, saying it took her some time to accept the “dead” woman on the bed was herself.

When she told her children, “my daughter screamed like a wild beast. I will never forget it”.

Ms Pelicot paid tribute to the policeman who initially arrested her husband and searched his phone and computer. “He no doubt saved my life,” she said, recalling her waning health and unexplained “blackouts” as a result of the amount of drugs her husband was secretly putting in her drinks and food.

She told the court she became “convinced” she had developed Alzheimer’s.

“I didn’t understand why I had moments like this, I have an excellent memory,” said Ms Pelicot, adding that when she jokingly asked her husband, if he was drugging her, he “broke down in tears” and said: ‘You actually think I could do that?’”

She only linked the blackouts to drugs once her husband’s sex tapes were revealed.

She referred to him coldly as Monsieur Pelicot in the trial, saying that she had kept the surname herself out of “solidarity” with her children but would drop it for good once the four-month proceedings were over and her divorce had been finalised.

“Then the page will be turned for good,” she said.

Asked what she wanted from the trial, she said: “I want it to be exemplary.

“I’m speaking for all those women who are being drugged and don’t know it, I’m doing it on behalf of all those women who may never know it, (...) so that no woman will ever have to suffer drug-facilitated rape again.”

02:54 PM BST

Thanks for following today’s live blog

Thank you for following today’s live coverage of the trial of a French pensioner, Dominique Pélicot, who is accused of recruiting more than 50 strangers online to rape his wife Gisèle in their Provence home.

We’ll be back soon with more updates from the trial.

02:29 PM BST

Medical expert ‘never been so shocked’ after assessing evidence

One of Mrs Pélicot’s lawyers asked a medical expert: “Is it possible that Mrs Pélicot’s body could have felt pain while drugged but not notice anything untoward afterwards?”

The expert replied: “Yes”

They added that Mrs Pélicot could have drowned after being drugged.

“I have never before been so shocked by such images as an expert,” said the medical analyst who mentioned his shock in his report.

01:22 PM BST

Medical experts take the stand after lunch break

The trial has resumed after a lunch break with medical experts, the first of whom has been explained how they analyse head hair to determine the presence of drugs.

01:13 PM BST

The defence lawyers are trying to trap me, says Mrs Pélicot

Speaking outside court during the recess, Mrs Pélicot said: "The defence lawyers are trying to trap me but I will do my best."

01:09 PM BST

Mr Pélicot requests to address the court

After an hour-long lunch break, the trial is about to resume.

We have been told that after Mrs Pélicot has finished, Mr Pélicot has requested to address the court, which was not scheduled.

01:01 PM BST

Pictured: Gisèle Pélicot leaves court

12:28 PM BST

Wife ‘convinced’ she had Alzheimer’s

Gisèle Pélicot said she became “convinced” she had developed Alzheimer’s during the ordeal.

“I didn’t understand why I had moments like this,” Mrs Pélicot, 72, told the court after taking the stand for the first time.

Mrs Pélicot then said she jokingly asked Dominique, her husband, if he was drugging her, to which he apparently “broke down in tears” and said: “You actually think I could do that?”

She then explained how her husband accompanied her to see a doctor about concerns that she had Alzheimer’s. She was told she may have had a “brain seizure”.

12:25 PM BST

Daughter’s book recounting alleged abuse published ‘too early’

Mrs Pélicot told the court: “When Caroline (Mrs Pélicot’s daughter) wrote her book (And I Stopped Calling him Daddy) in 2022 I felt it was published too early.

“I wanted her to publish it at the end of the trial. I didn’t want to expose herself too much. I wanted to make this trial public to take back control, that’s all.”

11:39 AM BST

Mrs Pélicot recounts husband ‘raping’ her as she slept

Mrs Pélicot has just told the court that she once woke up in 2010 to find her husband having sex with her.

“In 2010, I remember going to bed, I woke up with a start to find Mr Pélicot raping me as I hadn’t consented. I said what are you doing? I then went back to sleep,” she said.

“I thought he had an urge to do it and we were married so didn’t take it any further.”

11:17 AM BST

Mr Pélicot ‘grabbed wife by the neck’ after her affair

Earlier we reported that Mrs Pélicot admitted to having an affair with one of her friends, which she said tested her marriage (see 10.09am post).

Mr Pélicot allegedly grabbed his wife by her neck after learning about the affair, Mrs Pélicot told the court.

11:11 AM BST

‘I never woke up in a different outfit’

Mrs Pélicot told the court she never woke up in a different outfit to the one she went to sleep in.

“During all of these events, you went to sleep with your pyjamas on and woke up with them on?” the prosecutor asked.

“Yes. I never woke up in a different outfit,” Mrs Pélicot replied.

11:02 AM BST

Mrs Pélicot’s message to the defendants: don’t insult my intelligence

The lawyer just asked Mrs Pélicot: “Some defendants admit the facts, others contest all the facts, and others confirm they were present but deny it was rape. You caught four STDs and were exposed to HIV six times. What have you got to say to people who claim you consented to all this?”

Mrs Pélicot replied: “All I have to say is, it’s an insult to my intelligence. These individuals were totally aware of what state I was in. I never knowingly took part in any of these things. How can you even try and make people think that a woman would knowingly take part in all this?”

10:54 AM BST

‘I told my husband to stop taking pictures of me’

In Mrs Pélicot’s testimony, she revealed how her husband would periodically take photos of her, including when she was leaving the bathroom.

After a while, Mrs Pélicot said she became annoyed by the constant pictures and said she asked her husband to stop, to which he said: “You should be pleased that after 50 years your husband still wants to take photos of you.”

She told the court: “It was flattering perhaps but it annoyed me and I told him to stop.”

10:50 AM BST

Mrs Pélicot’s lawyer begins asking questions after short break

After a 15-minute break, Stéphane Babonneau, one of Mrs Pélicot’s lawyers, has begun asking her questions.

10:44 AM BST

Reminder: who is Dominique Pélicot?

Dominique Pélicot, 71, a retired electricity worker and father of three, was charged with inviting men to have intercourse with Gisèle, his wife of almost 50 years, via a now-banned website in a section called “a son insu” (without her knowledge).

Police counted 92 rapes committed by 72 men, of whom 51 were formally identified, over 10 years.

Officers began to investigate Mr Pélicot in September 2020 when he was caught by a security guard secretly filming under the skirts of three women in a shopping centre.

Examining his computer, they found thousands of pictures and videos of his wife, visibly unconscious. He would then meticulously film and archive their sexual acts, keeping the footage in a file called “ABUSES” on a USB.

According to the 400-page indictment, the abuse started in 2011 when the couple were living near Paris and continued after they moved to Mazan two years later until 2020.

The suspect is said to have given the men strict instructions when they abused his wife during the night. Tobacco and perfume were banned to avoid strong smells that could awaken her.

10:25 AM BST

Mrs Pélicot to keep name until after trial

Mrs Pélicot has said she will keep her marriage name for the remainder of the trial, before reverting back to her maiden name.

She initially told the magistrate that she wanted to be referred to by her maiden name but later changed her mind.

“I am trying to remain standing for my grandchildren,” she explained after being asked why she changed her mind.

“When you look at me you think she’s strong this woman, but inside it’s a heap of ruins. The facade is strong, inside it’s not the same.”

10:22 AM BST

Mrs Pélicot: I never authorised my husband to film me during sex

Mrs Pélicot has reiterated that she never authorised her husband to film her during sex.

“I don’t recall ever having a conversation about it. The only conversation we had was about going swinging and I said categorically no, I will never do that,” she told the court.

10:14 AM BST

‘My life was in danger but no one stopped’

“I was tested for HIV as one man who came (to rape me) six times was seropositive. My life was in danger but not one second did anyone stop,” Mrs Pélicot told the court.

“Luckily I didn’t catch it. But not once did Mr Pélicot say to himself, ‘I’ve gone too far’. He showed no pity, no pity at all.”

10:09 AM BST

Mrs Pélicot admits having an affair

Mrs Pélicot has admitted to having an affair after 14 years of marriage, which she was asked to explain by the judge.

She explained how she was friends with her lover and that he visited her “periodically” over a two-year period, to which her husband “reacted very badly”.

Mrs Pélicot explained: “He could see there was a problem as I found it hard to love two people at once. As I said, our couple was based on trust so it was hard. But as I said he was the only man I had known.

“I only ever had two men in my bed. It may sound ridiculous today.”

09:54 AM BST

Mrs Pélicot: Nothing disturbs me after what I went through

The judge asked Mrs Pélicot if she developed any physical issues after suffering memory loss.

“I had gynecological problems...and a major infection in the uterus,” she explained, before adding that she was always accompanied by her husband to appointments.

The judge then said he did not want to disturb Mrs Pélicot with certain questions, to which she replied: “Given what I have been through, nothing disturbs me.”

09:02 AM BST

‘My daughter screamed like a beast’ after hearing allegations

Mrs Pélicot has described the moment her daughter found out about the allegations that her husband drugged her and invited strangers to rape her.

She told the court: “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.”

“The evening, the children rang all the time saying don’t disappear, they were worried I might die.”

08:39 AM BST

Mrs Pélicot describes moment she first entered police station

Mrs Pélicot has described the moment she first walked into the police station after being summoned by police for what she thought was a “formality”.

She told the judge that the image of walking up the steps of the police station “will remain with me for the rest of my life”.

“I remained calm but when I got into the office I didn’t see Mr Pélicot. This was during the Covid period, so I was wearing a mask. I was asked for my identity and that of my family,” she said.

“I was astonished by all these questions. One question was then asked how would you describe your husband. I said for the past 50 years he was a ‘well intentioned and a nice guy’,” she continued.

“I’m a woman who only one man can touch, Mr Pélicot, no other can put a hand on me. I was told to remove my mask and the policeman said I’m going to tell you something you won’t like.”

08:33 AM BST

Mrs Pélicot refers to husband as ‘Mr Pélicot’

Mrs Pélicot referred to her husband, Dominique, who she is in the process of divorcing, as “Mr Pélicot”, before recounting the moment he allegedly confessed to taking pictures under women’s skirts.

She said: “On December 19, my husband said he had a problem with his phone and his code. I didn’t really understand but remained at my daughter’s house.

“When I returned to Mazan, our village, Mr Pélicot picked me up but had changed, he looked pale and anxious. I was worried about his health.

“Arriving in Mazan, he prepared my lunch. We are in the kitchen, he sat down and broke down in tears. I didn’t understand. I thought it was a health problem that had come back and I thought that it was about this.

“He said ‘I have done something silly’ I said what? He said I 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, 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.”

08:30 AM BST

Judge asks Mrs Pélicot to take the stand

The judge has just asked Mrs Pélicot to take the stand.

In a calm voice, she was asked her name and age. “Gisèle Pélicot, I will be 72 in December,” she said.

The judge said she will be allowed to testify freely and then be asked a few questions.

Mrs Pélicot began by thanking the police lieutenant of Carperntras who initially arrested her husband for looking up women’s skirts in a supermarket, which led to the investigation.

“He saved my life and I probably wouldn’t be here without him,” she said.

08:27 AM BST

Welcome to our live coverage

Good morning and welcome to our live coverage

We’re bringing you all the latest updates from the trial of a French pensioner, Dominique Pélicot, who is accused of recruiting more than 50 strangers online to rape his wife Gisèle in their Provence home.