• News
  • Life
  • TV & Film
  • Beauty
  • Style
  • Home
  • News
    • Celebrity
    • Entertainment
    • Politics
    • Royal Family
  • Life
    • Animals
    • Food & Drink
    • Women's Health
    • Mental Health
    • Sex & Relationships
    • Travel
    • Real Life
  • TV & Film
    • True Crime
    • Documentaries
    • Netflix
    • BBC
    • ITV
    • Tyla Recommends
  • Beauty
    • Hair
    • Make-up
    • Skincare
  • Style
    • Home
    • Fashion
    • Shopping
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • LADbible Group
  • LADbible
  • UNILAD
  • SPORTbible
  • GAMINGbible
  • UNILAD Tech
  • FOODbible
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Threads
TikTok
Submit Your Content
72-year-old woman Gisèle Pelicot had devastating reaction when police showed her images of husband abusing her

Home> News

Updated 10:48 19 Dec 2024 GMTPublished 08:57 6 Sep 2024 GMT+1

72-year-old woman Gisèle Pelicot had devastating reaction when police showed her images of husband abusing her

Gisèle Pelicot is facing her husband, Dominique, and 50 other men in a rape trial that has scandalised France

Kya Buller

Kya Buller

Warning: this article discusses rape and SA which some readers may find distressing.

Gisele Pélicot, a 72-year-old woman from Mazan, France, is facing her husband Dominique, 71, in a landmark trial after learning he had been 'abusing her for over 10 years'.

Dominique is on trial for allegedly drugging Gisele's food and raping her over the course of a decade, as well as inviting more than 70 men over to commit the same crime.

Dominique's crimes were uncovered in 2020, after he was arrested for filming up women's skirts in a supermarket - also known as 'upskirting'.

Advert

Police then searched the Pelicot home and uncovered a file on his computer titled 'abuses', which included footage of his wife being raped.

Dominique's lawyer has previously stated that Dominique has 'always declared himself guilty', claiming he said: “I put her to sleep, I offered her, and I filmed.”

Gisèle Pélicot (CHRISTOPHE SIMON/AFP via Getty Images)
Gisèle Pélicot (CHRISTOPHE SIMON/AFP via Getty Images)

Gisèle has bravely waived her right to anonymity in the trial, asking for 'complete publicity until the end', so that 'shame changes sides'.

Advert

Gisèle was so heavily drugged she has no recollection of the abuse, only learning of it when she was showed footage by police.

The mother-of-three, whose children are supporting her in court, has taken the stand to stress the impact of the depraved abuse and recount the moment she discovered what her husband had done.

She told the court: "My world fell apart. For me, everything was falling apart. Everything I had built up over 50 years."

Gisèle said her motionless state in the footage led to her struggling to recognise herself.

Advert

Gisèle is being supported by her children in court (CHRISTOPHE SIMON/AFP via Getty Images)
Gisèle is being supported by her children in court (CHRISTOPHE SIMON/AFP via Getty Images)

She added: “I was sacrificed on the altar of vice. They regarded me like a rag doll, like a garbage bag.

“When you see that woman drugged, mistreated, a dead person on a bed - of course the body is not cold, it’s warm, but it’s as if I’m dead."

Despite the crimes coming to light in 2020, the court learned Gisèle was only able to watch the footage in May of this year.

Advert

She added that rape is not a strong enough term for what she went through, instead calling it 'torture'.

"Frankly, these are scenes of horror for me," Gisèle added.

It is alleged that Dominique instructed the men, who he recruited for the abuse on an online chatroom which has since been shut down - to wash their hands and not wear aftershave or smoke tobacco, so Gisèle would not sense that they were strangers.

Gisèle waived her right to anonymity (CHRISTOPHE SIMON/AFP via Getty Images)
Gisèle waived her right to anonymity (CHRISTOPHE SIMON/AFP via Getty Images)

Advert

The effects were so severe that Gisèle believed she had Alzheimers and experienced gynaecological problems, later learning she had contracted sexually transmitted diseases.

The 50 men identified by police who are now standing trial were aged between 26 and 73 when they were apprehended.

Their job titles include a local councillor, nurses, a journalist, a former police officer, a prison guard, soldier, firefighter and civil servant.

The trial is expected to last until December.

If you have been affected by any of the issues in this article and wish to speak to someone in confidence, contact the Rape Crisis England and Wales helpline on 0808 500 222, available 24/7. If you are currently in danger or need urgent medical attention, you should call 999.

Featured Image Credit: CHRISTOPHE SIMON/AFP via Getty Images

Topics: World News, News

Kya Buller
Kya Buller

Kya is a Journalist at Tyla. She loves covering issues surrounding identity, gender, sex and relationships, and mental health. Contact: [email protected]

X

@kyajbuller

Advert

Advert

Advert

Choose your content:

2 days ago
  • 2 days ago

    Three-year-old boy died from sepsis after ‘missed opportunities’ for early treatment following flu-like symptoms

    Theo Tuikubulau tragically died from a Strep A infection which led to sepsis

    News
  • 2 days ago

    Kate Middleton makes rare parenting confession as she shares sad cancer update

    The Princess of Wales, 43, shares three children with her husband Prince William

    News
  • 2 days ago

    Donald Trump ignites outrage with most 'hateful' comment yet

    The 79-year-old Republican has sparked a very heated discussion online following such 'hateful' remarks

    News
  • 2 days ago

    Wimbledon viewers spot heartbreaking detail as strict 148-year rule is broken after Liverpool player Diogo Jota's death

    The Liverpool FC player tragically died in a car crash in Spain on Thursday (3 July)

    News
  • 72-year-old woman devastated after finding out her husband had been 'abusing her for over 10 years' as sickening trial goes public
  • Husband makes shocking admission in court as he’s accused of abusing 72-year-old wife without her knowledge for over 10 years
  • 72-year-old woman Gisèle Pelicot describes harrowing moment she told her children about husband’s 'horrific abuse'
  • 72-year-old Gisèle Pelicot receives powerful reaction from strangers after facing husband who abused her for decade without her realising in court