Gisele Pelicot: Husband ‘destroyed’ and betrayed me, says woman at centre of France mass rape trial

Published

10 months ago

October 24, 2024

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The woman at the centre of a mass rape trial in France has said she cannot comprehend how the “perfect man” betrayed her – as she spoke in court for the first time.

Gisele Pelicot, 72, was sedated and raped by her former husband Dominique Pelicot.

For almost a decade, he crushed sleeping pills and other anti-anxiety drugs into her food and drink and allegedly recruited men online to rape her.

He’s already admitted his crimes, carried out between 2011 and 2020, and said he organised dozens of men to come to the house and rape her while she was comatose.

Supported by family, Ms Pelicot was applauded as she arrived at court on Wednesday.

She spoke directly to her ex-husband during the testimony

“I still don’t understand how this man who was the perfect man could do this, could destroy my life and betray me,” she said.

“I haven’t been able to look Dominique Pelicot in the face – but today I talk to him,” she said as part of a statement at the mid-point of the trial.

“We have 50 years together. I was a happy wife; we have three kids and seven grandkids.

“You were a good husband and a good man, and I trusted you. I never doubted you,” she said, beginning to cry.

But this good man, she told the court, was responsible for her being raped 100 times.

Ms Pelicot expressed anger and disbelief that he allegedly allowed people in their bedroom when he knew she was against swinging.

When she became sick, he accompanied her to the gynaecologist but nobody suspected a thing, she told the court.

“My life has been turned upside down. You chose to do this,” she told him.

The judge asked about their mealtime routine, referring to evidence that Dominique Pelicot had slipped drugs into her food.

Gisele Pelicot said he had made lots of meals and often brought her ice cream afterwards.

“I thought ‘wow’, I’m lucky to have a husband who looks after me like this,” she told the court, explaining she was totally unaware the food was drugged.

She said she must have fallen asleep quickly, as she often woke up tired and in her pyjamas.

If she was raped in the day, she said her husband must have drugged her orange juice.

During questioning, she was asked if she thought her ex-husband had acted out of vengeance.

She said she had considered he might have been trying to punish her after she had a lover once in their relationship, around 30 years ago.

Ms Pelicot also said her former husband had talked about mistresses.

Forty-nine of the 51 men on trial, including Dominique Pelicot, are accused of rape, one of attempted rape and one of sexual assault.

A few admit the charges but say they did not intend to commit rape.

Most, however, deny the allegations, with some claiming they believed they were part of a game between the couple.

The men are aged between 26 and 74 and most lived in southeast France. Among them are a journalist, soldier and lorry driver.

They face up to 20 years in jail if convicted.

‘I am a destroyed woman’

Gisele Pelicot said she had waived her right to anonymity and allowed videos of the attacks to be shown in court because “it makes people see the truth”.

During her statement, she also addressed the women who had given evidence in support of the co-defendants.

“When I hear mothers, sisters and partners talk about their men as normal… the profile of a rapist can be normal, can be a friend or a family man,” she said.

“Can you imagine what that does to me? That I was accused of pretending to be asleep and that I was aware of what was happening. It’s violent.”

She said she was a “destroyed woman” and was getting psychological help.

Despite the trauma, she said she wanted to offer hope and strength to other victims: “I wanted that all victims of rape could say, ‘well if Gisele can do it, we can do it’.

“Because when we are raped, we have shame, but it’s not for us to be ashamed, but for those men,” she declared.

She said she was hurt when a defence lawyer asked her at what point the sexual activity was rape.

“They did this to an unconscious woman. Rape is a rape,” she said, becoming emotional.

Reacting to some defendants apologising, she said it would have been apparent when they touched her that she was not conscious.

“They are apologising to themselves, not to me,” she said.

‘He found sex elsewhere’

Earlier on Wednesday, the court heard from the partners of some of the men accused of raping the 72-year-old.

The wife of one said that because she refused him sex “he found it elsewhere”.

The 45-year-old described her husband Jean Luc-L as “a good husband and father”.

She said their life was normal, adding: “He never hit me. I often refused sex. He insisted but then if I refused, he would be unhappy and then leave”.

Recalling when police told her about the claims, the mother of two said: “I was in shock, but I think that because I refused him sex, as a man, that’s why he found it elsewhere.”

Hearing the comment, Ms Pelicot expressed surprise through her lawyer.

“I understand Gisele’s position,” the co-defendant’s wife said.

The lawyer asked her about Ms Pelicot’s surprise at her comment: “It’s because I kept refusing and for a long time,” she replied, prompting audible gasps from some in court.

“I understand what my husband did to Gisele is unacceptable and I share her pain,” she said.

The woman said she had not left her husband and still visited him in prison.

Another woman, the ex-partner of Florian R, described him as “a normal guy”.

“We were good, we were normal,” she said, explaining they have children but split up in 2019.

The 37-year-old said their sex life had been “normal”, “basic” and did not involve fantasies.

Talking about when she heard he was being investigated, she said: “Initially I thought he was in trouble with the police because he was with a girl who I thought was too young… she was 14 years old.”

She said they still talked on the phone due to their children, who she had taken to visit him in jail.

The trial in Avignon is expected to continue until the end of the year.

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Afghanistan earthquake kills hundreds and destroys villages – all we know so far

Published

15 hours ago

September 1, 2025

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Afghanistan earthquake kills hundreds and destroys villages - all we know so far

More than 800 people have been killed and at least 2,800 others injured after an earthquake hit eastern Afghanistan, according to Taliban state officials.

The quake hit the country’s rugged northeastern province of Kunar, near the Pakistan border, at roughly midnight on Sunday, destroying several villages, officials said.

Rescuers are continuing to work in several districts of the mountainous province where the quake hit, while officials in the capital city of Kabul have warned the number of casualties could rise.

Afghan disaster latest updates

Here’s what we know so far.

What happened?

A 6.0 quake hit Kunar at around 11.47pm local time (8.17pm UK time) on Sunday.

The quake’s epicentre was near Jalalabad, Nangarhar province, at a depth of 8.7 miles (14km). Jalalabad is situated about 74 miles (119km) from Kabul. It is considered a remote and mountainous area.

A second earthquake struck in the same province about 20 minutes later, with a magnitude of 4.5 and a depth of 6.2 miles (10km). This was later followed by a 5.2 earthquake at the same depth.

Homes of mud and stone were levelled by the quake, with deaths and injuries reported in the districts of Nur Gul, Soki, Watpur, Manogi and Chapadare, according to the Kunar Disaster Management Authority.

The first quake hit 17 miles east-northeast of the city of Jalalabad in Nangarhar province, the US Geological Survey said. Jalalabad is a bustling trade city due to its proximity to a key border crossing between Afghanistan and Pakistan.

It has a population of around 300,000 people, according to the municipality, but its metropolitan area is believed to be much larger.

Most of its buildings are low-rise constructions predominantly made from concrete and brick, though its outer areas include homes built of mud bricks and wood.

What have officials said so far?

Sharafat Zaman, a spokesman for Afghanistan’s ministry of public health, said: “Rescue operations are still underway there, and several villages have been completely destroyed.

“The figures for martyrs and injured are changing.

“Medical teams from Kunar, Nangarhar and the capital Kabul have arrived in the area.”

He said many areas have not been able to report casualty figures and that “numbers were expected to change” as deaths and injuries are reported.

Zabihullah Mujahid, a spokesman for the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, said: “Sadly, tonight’s earthquake has caused loss of life and property damage in some of our eastern provinces.

“Local officials and residents are currently engaged in rescue efforts for the affected people. Support teams from the centre and nearby provinces are also on their way.”

According to earlier reports, 30 people were killed in a single village, the health ministry said.

“The number of casualties and injuries is high, but since the area is difficult to access, our teams are still on site,” said health ministry spokesperson Sharafat Zaman.

The Afghan Red Crescent said its officials and medical teams “rushed to the affected areas and are currently providing emergency assistance to impacted families”.

Quake measures slightly lower than the country’s deadliest disaster

Afghanistan is prone to earthquakes, particularly in the Hindu Kush mountain range, where the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates meet.

The country is also one of the world’s poorest, having suffered decades of conflict, with poor infrastructure leaving it particularly vulnerable to natural disasters.

A magnitude 6.3 earthquake and strong aftershocks struck Afghanistan on 7 October 2023.

The country’s Taliban government said at least 4,000 people had been killed, but the United Nations said the death toll was around 1,500.

The 2023 earthquake is considered the deadliest natural disaster to hit Afghanistan in recent memory.

A series of other earthquakes in the country’s west killed more than 1,000 people last year.

Disaster adds to ‘multiplicity of crises’ for Afghanistan

The earthquake is a “perfect storm” in a country that is already suffering a “multiplicity of crises,” the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees has told Sky News.

Filippo Grandi said the situation in the country was “very tragic” and added: “We have very little information as of yet, but already, reports of hundreds of people killed and many more made homeless.”

“That’s a country that is already suffering from a multiplicity of crises.”

He said Afghanistan is suffering from a “big drought”, while Iran has “sent back almost 2 million people” and Pakistan “threatens to do the same”.

“It’s extremely difficult to mobilise resources because of the Taliban. So it’s a perfect storm,” he added.

“And this earthquake, likely to have been quite devastating, is going to just add to the misery.”

He appealed to “all those who can help to please do that”.

A foreign office spokesperson for the Afghanistan government said no foreign governments have reached out to provide support for rescue or relief work so far.

World

At least 43 Palestinians killed as Israeli offensive in Gaza City intensifies

Published

17 hours ago

September 1, 2025

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At least 43 Palestinians killed as Israeli offensive in Gaza City intensifies

At least 43 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since Saturday, according to local hospitals, as the Israeli offensive on Gaza City intensifies.

Most of the casualties were reported in Gaza City. Shifa Hospital, the largest in Gaza, said 29 bodies had been brought to its morgue, including 10 people killed while seeking aid and others struck across the city.

Al-Awda Hospital said on Sunday morning that 11 more people were killed in strikes and gunfire, seven of whom were civilians trying to get aid. Witnesses said Israeli troops shot at crowds in the Netzarim Corridor, which is an Israeli military zone cutting Gaza in half.

Ragheb Abu Lebda, from Nuseirat, said the area is a “death trap” after he saw at least three people bleeding from gunshot wounds.

The Netzarim Corridor has become increasingly dangerous, with civilians seeking aid being killed while approaching United Nations (UN) convoys, which have been overwhelmed by desperate crowds and looters.

Others have been shot en route to aid sites run by the controversial Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation.

Neither the foundation nor the Israeli military responded to questions about the seven reported casualties among people seeking aid on Sunday.

Israel’s Defence Minister Israel Katz announced on Sunday that the spokesman for Hamas’ armed wing, Abu Obeida, was killed in Gaza over the weekend after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu earlier said his forces had attacked the spokesman without confirming whether he had died.

Hamas has not commented on the claim that Mr Obeida has been killed.

It comes after Israel announced the initial stages of its Gaza City offensive on Friday, following weeks of operations on the outskirts of the city and the Jabaliya refugee camp.

The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) have since intensified its air attacks in the coastal areas of the city.

The military has urged hundreds of thousands of Palestinians still in Gaza City to flee, but only tens of thousands have followed through, as many say they are not convinced it is safer elsewhere, or they are too exhausted after repeated displacements.

About 65,000 Palestinians have fled their home this month alone, including 23,199 in the past week, according to the UN.

Many are living in temporary shelters after they were displaced multiple times.

The UN says more than 90% of the 2.1 million Palestinians in Gaza have been displaced at least once since the start of the war on 7 October 2023.

Palestinians have accused Israel of forcing displacements after it signalled that aid to Gaza City would be cut.

Malnutrition in Gaza is rife, with part of the Strip suffering from famine, according to a global hunger monitor.

Seven adults died of causes related to malnutrition and starvation over the last 24 hours, bringing the death toll from malnutrition-related causes in adults to 215 since late June, the Gaza health ministry said.

The ministry said 63,371 Palestinians have died since the start of the war in October 2023, including 124 children who have died of malnutrition-related causes.

This comes as Greta Thunberg and other activists have embarked on a second aid flotilla to Gaza on Sunday, despite having been detained by Israeli forces and deported when they approached on a British-flagged yacht in June.

Thunberg, who is among hundreds of people from 44 countries on the flotilla, hopes their mission will bring symbolic aid and help open up a humanitarian corridor to deliver more aid.

She said the activists’ goal is to send “hope and solidarity to the people of Gaza, showing a clear signal that the world has not forgotten about you”.

World

Yemen’s Houthi rebels raid UN premises and detain several people

Published

17 hours ago

September 1, 2025

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Yemen's Houthi rebels raid UN premises and detain several people

Yemen’s Houthi rebels have raided United Nations offices and detained several people, officials have said.

The group has tightened security across the capital, Sanaa, after their prime minister was killed in an Israeli strike on Thursday.

Sunday’s raids were the latest in a long-running Houthi crackdown against the UN and other international organisations working in rebel-held areas of Yemen.

The offices of the UN’s food, health and children’s agencies were raided on Sunday, according to officials.

Ammar Ammar, a spokesperson for UNICEF, said a number of the agency’s staffers were detained, and the agency was seeking more information from the Houthis.

Media reports have suggested that 11 UN workers were detained.

The Houthis have controlled much of northwestern Yemen since 2014 after forcing out the internationally recognised government and starting a civil war.

They are backed by Iran and have conducted repeated strikes on shipping in the Red Sea and Israel.

Sunday’s events come after rebel prime minister Ahmed al Rahawi and a number of other ministers were killed on Thursday, according to the Houthis.

The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said on Friday it had “carried out a significant strike against strategic targets of the Houthi terror regime in Yemen”.