The series of events that led to Dominique Pelicot’s horrific crimes being exposed

Gisèle Pelicot was in court to look 51 of her abusers in the eye and see them sentenced to a total of 428 years.

After bravely choosing to give up her right to anonymity, the grandmother became a global feminist icon during a grueling, months-long public trial that horrified the world.

She watched as her former 50-year-old husband, Dominique Pelicot, was found guilty 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 that shaped the French justice system and shook the nation to its core might never have been exposed.

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Where did he find willing participants?

The now-closed “Coco” website hosted chat rooms that glorified sexual violence and wasn’t even on the dark web.

Founded in 2003 by software engineer Isaac Steidl, the site asked users to confirm they were over 18, but they could quickly change their age once they accessed the platform and chatted using a made-up username.

Over the course of ten years, Pelicot spoke to dozens of men online and asked them to rape his unconscious wife, posting, “I am looking for a perverted 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 slept, but did not say she had no knowledge of his abuse.

During the trial, some defendants claimed that Gisèle’s ex-husband had cheated on them, others said he forced them to have sexual intercourse with her and that they were terrified. Others still claim they believed she consented or that her then-husband’s consent was enough.

Pelicot denied misleading the men and said they knew exactly what they were doing.

In France it is called “a den of predators”. Human rights groups, LGBTQ+ activists and child protection organizations all expressed concern about it.

After being involved in 23,000 reports of criminal activity involving more than 480 victims, the website was finally shut down in June this year after France’s national anti-organized 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 went to the house to rape and abuse Gisèle, but they were unable to identify them all.

Most lived in southeastern France, within a 60 km radius of the village of Mazan, where the Pelicots withdrew. One, Simoné Mekenes, 43, was their neighbor.

The abusers include a firefighter, a journalist, a nurse, a prison guard and a construction worker. Some are retired, others are unemployed and three-quarters have their own families.

One knew he had HIV when he raped Gisèle six times and, according to police, chose not to wear a condom. She did not contract HIV, although she was found to have other sexually transmitted diseases, a medical expert testified.

The youngest suspect was only 22 when he entered Gisèle’s bedroom, while the eldest was in his early seventies.

Five judges at the Palais de Justice in Avignon 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 years of drugging and sexual assault against Gisèle, who was tested for Alzheimer’s disease and brain tumors 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 who hid his cellphone in a bag and tried to take photos under the skirts of female shoppers at a supermarket.

During their investigation, police discovered more than 20,000 photos and videos on his computer drives that revealed the horrific secrets he had been keeping from his wife.

Police seized two phones, a camera and a video recorder from his home, as well as a laptop, a USB key and an SD card.

Gisèle then met with the police, believing she would be informed of the supermarket incident. But police told her about the videos they found and told her they believed Pelicot had drugged her for years and invited dozens of strangers into their home to rape her.

Without the guard’s intervention that day, Mazan’s alleged rape case might never have come to light.

Who is the guard?

At a fundraiser, the guard was praised for not only carrying out his job with “remarkable dedication” but also saving Gisèle’s life and protecting other women from abuse.

It added: “This fundraising campaign aims to recognize and promote the work of security guards, who are often poorly paid for difficult and arduous work, by highlighting their vital role. Your support and cooperation are greatly appreciated.”

Rape Crisis provides support to 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 at 800-656-HOPE (4673).