Gisèle Pelicothas spoken publicly in her first interview with a US broadcaster about the crimes committed by her former husband, Dominique Pelicot.
The interview recently aired on CBS News, more than a year after Dominique's conviction in France for orchestrating prolonged sexual abuse against her.
Dominique Pelicot was sentenced in December 2024 by a criminal court in Avignon, southern France, after being found guilty of repeatedly drugging his wife and facilitating sexual assaults by dozens of men over nearly a decade. Prosecutors said the abuse occurred between 2011 and 2020 at the couple's home in Mazan.
The case drew international attention due to its scale and Gisèle Pelicot's decision to waive her anonymity during proceedings, stating during the trial that shame should rest with perpetrators rather than victims.
French investigators uncovered the abuse in 2020 after examining digital material seized from Dominique Pelicot. Court findings stated that he had administered sedatives to his wife without her knowledge and recorded assaults while she was unconscious.
During the trial, which lasted several weeks in late 2024, prosecutors said dozens of men were identified and prosecuted alongside Pelicot. Many were convicted of aggravated rape and related offences. Dominique Pelicot received a 20-year prison sentence.
According to court findings reported by French and international media, Gisèle Pelicot was unaware of the assaults at the time they occurred and only learned of their extent when informed by police during the investigation.
The proceedings prompted wider debate in France over consent,drug-facilitated abuseand the role of digital evidence in prosecuting sexual violence cases.
In her interview with CBS News, Gisèle Pelicot described the crimes as 'unthinkable' and spoke about the personal impact of discovering what had happened.
'I never imagined that I was living with a man who was drugging his wife in his own home. It was impossible,' she told CBS.
Source: International Business Times UK
