Gisele Pelicot’s son relives moment he discovered his father was a monster
His father is one of France’s worst sex offenders, his mother a national hero.
As the friendly, smartly dressed man sits in front of me, waiting for our interview to begin, it is impossible to understand the pain and anguish which has haunted David Pelicot and his family over the last four years.
“He was my father, but he’s not anymore,” David says. “Today he’s a monster.”
David is the eldest son of Gisele Pelicot, the woman at the centre of a mass rape trial who became a household name after waiving her right to anonymity and bravely declaring that “shame must change sides”.
His father, Dominique, admitted repeatedly drugging and raping Gisele between 2011 and 2020, and inviting dozens of other men to their home in southern France to do the same.
As strangers attacked his sedated wife, Dominique filmed them, building up a vile library of abuse.
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How the Pelicot trial unfolded
His crimes were exposed by chance in 2020 after he was caught filming up women’s skirts in a local supermarket.
When police seized his devices, they uncovered 20,000 meticulously organised videos and images of abuse.
Gisele was the unconscious victim in many of them.
On 2 November 2020, police showed her what they had found.
Gisele Pelicot arriving in court on the day of the verdicts. Pic: Reuters
After seeing herself violated in the most hideous ways, she had to call her children to tell them what their father had done.
“It’s a moment that will remain etched in my memory forever,” David says, as he recounts the evening which would destroy his family.
He remembers his wife answering the phone, speaking to his mother and turning pale before handing him the call. His mother gently asked him to go somewhere quiet, where he could be alone.
She then explained she had been repeatedly raped by his father and dozens of other men.
“What she told me was like a tsunami,” David says.
“I felt so many emotions rising within me… and then the nausea which had been mounting during the entire conversation reached a peak.
“I hung up the phone and it felt like the floor gave way under my feet, and I felt sick. I went to the bathroom and threw up.”
Read more:
How Gisele Pelicot went from victim to feminist hero
Inside the depraved mind of ‘career criminal’ Dominique
David (left) and his brother Florian (centre) with their mother Gisele during their father’s trial. Pic: Reuters
Just like his mother, the 50-year-old is dignified and clear as he relives the moment he discovered the father he loved and trusted was a manipulative monster.
Dominique Pelicot, the affable guy who people liked, was a predator who carefully planned his crimes, crushing sleep-inducing drugs into his unsuspecting wife’s food before allowing strangers to abuse and degrade her.
No day was off limits; Gisele was assaulted on her birthday, Valentine’s Day and New Year’s Eve.
“The moment we were told that she had been abused by more than 50 men was very difficult to hear, because this man, Dominique Pelicot, was the backbone of the family,” David continues.
“He’d taught me to respect women, so when I heard what he’d done to our own mother, as the eldest son, I was filled with anger and total incomprehension.”
Throughout our conversation, David always uses Dominique’s full name.
He explains it’s his way of moving forward and grieving.
David Pelicot tells Sky News’ Siobhan Robbins his family has suffered ‘unspeakable pain’
In December, Dominique Pelicot was sentenced to 20 years in jail after admitting his crimes.
During the trial, his lawyer argued he had a split personality which enabled him to be a seemingly perfect husband and loving father while secretly committing hideous assaults.
The question of how he had managed to trick them all clearly plays on David’s mind.
He says he believes Dominique is a Jekyll and Hyde type character who can be kind one minute, then depraved and cruel another.
A sketch of Dominique Pelicot during the trial last year. Pic: Reuters
The trial heard as well as the attacks on Gisele, Dominique put up cameras to secretly film and photograph his son’s wives, including one who was pregnant.
The cameras were hidden in their bathrooms or rooms in his home.
He then shared naked photos of them online.
He also took photos of his adult daughter, Caroline, semi-naked while she was asleep.
Dominique has always denied assaulting her, but she is terrified she was another of his victims.
David tells me he also believes his sister was abused and pledges to help her in her fight for justice.
After police exposed Dominique’s crimes, David cut him off. But just before the trial started his father sent him a letter.
“The first thing I asked myself was why is he writing to me? Is he writing to apologise? To ask for forgiveness? Or to try to manipulate me?” he says.
“So, I read his letter carefully, but quite honestly, I tore it up and threw it in the bin.
“Personally, I will never forgive him.”
David and his sister Caroline Darian, who has accused their father of raping her. Pic: Reuters
There’s only one question he wants to ask his father – why?
Why did he do this to his wife, to his children and his grandchildren?
Gisele isn’t believed to be Dominique’s only victim but David doesn’t believe his father will ever tell the truth about his crimes.
“I have no doubt he’ll die in prison, but I’m convinced that he’ll take many of his secrets to the grave,” he says.
While there’s no doubt Dominique was the conductor in this depraved orchestra of abuse, 50 other men were also found guilty of raping or sexually assaulting Gisele.
Around nine men are appealing but the case has forced France to look at its rape culture.
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The men convicted of raping Gisele Pelicot
Inspired by Gisele’s bravery in waiving her anonymity and allowing images of herself being raped to be shown in open court, tens of thousands of people joined demonstrations against sexual violence around the country.
Many held photos or drawings of Gisele.
Her courage has seen her named as one of Time Magazine’s women of the year, while a bold sketch of her with the words “No more shame” was emblazoned on the cover of German Vogue.
I ask David how he sees the woman who has become an icon for many?
“First and foremost, she’s our mum. She’s also our children’s grandmother, but today, and for the rest of her life, she’ll be a heroine,” he says.
People holding placards as they gather in support of Gisele Pelicot outside court. Pic: Reuters
For all the strength and dignity Gisele and her children have shown, it’s unclear if they will ever be able to heal from the damage inflicted upon them.
David explains his mother is trying to slowly rebuild herself but acknowledges that the family endured “unspeakable pain” throughout the trial.
“We must continue to live, give meaning to our lives and not forget that in the world, there are other women who cannot speak and who absolutely must be helped,” he says.
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‘I never regretted waiving anonymity’, says Gisele Pelicot
At the end of the interview, he asks our all-female team how we think toxic masculinity and rape culture can be tackled.
He listens intently to our responses and is clearly passionate about trying to find ways to educate young men and help build a safer society for women.
He is impatiently waiting for the government to change the law around sexual consent.
He has seen the darkest side of humanity and is desperately seeking the light.
He says he found it in the crowds of cheering women who came to support his mother at court, crying with joy when the verdicts were read out.
The case exposed unrepentant evil but also “gave immense hope to all women who suffer sexual violence,” David concludes. “Not only bad came from this case. There was also a lot of positivity; today people are free to speak out.”
World
Trump criticises Putin after potentially ‘historic’ meeting with Zelenskyy before Pope’s funeral
Donald Trump has criticised Vladimir Putin and suggested a shift in his stance towards the Russian president after a meeting with Volodymyr Zelenskyy before the Pope’s funeral.
The Ukrainian president said the one-on-one talks could prove to be “historic” after pictures showed him sitting opposite Mr Trump, around two feet apart, in the large marble hall inside St Peter’s Basilica.
The US president said he doubted his Russian counterpart’s willingness to end the war after leaving Rome after the funeral of Pope Francis at the Vatican.
Follow live updates: 200,000 mourn at Vatican
In a post on his Truth Social platform, he said “there was no reason” for the Russian president “to be shooting missiles into civilian areas, cities and towns, over the last few days”.
The two leaders held talks before attending the Pope’s funeral
He added: “It makes me think that maybe he doesn’t want to stop the war, he’s just tapping me along, and has to be dealt with differently, through ‘Banking’ or ‘Secondary Sanctions?’ Too many people are dying!!!”
The meeting between the US and Ukrainian leaders was their first face-to-face encounter since a very public row in the Oval Office in February.
Mr Zelenskyy said he had a good meeting with Mr Trump in which they talked about the defence of the Ukrainian people, a full and unconditional ceasefire, and a durable and lasting peace that would prevent the war restarting.
Other images released by the Ukrainian president’s office show Sir Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron were present for part of the talks, which were described as “positive” by the French presidency.
Mr Zelenskyy‘s spokesman said the meeting lasted for around 15 minutes and he and Mr Trump had agreed to hold further discussions later on Saturday.
The world leaders shared a moment before the service
Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy meet in the Basilica
But the US president left Rome for Washington on Air Force One soon after the funeral without any other talks having taken place.
The Ukrainian president’s office said there was no second meeting in Rome because of the tight schedule of both leaders, although he had separate discussions with Mr Starmer and Mr Macron.
The French president said in a post on X “Ukraine is ready for an unconditional ceasefire” and that a so-called coalition of the willing, led by the UK and France, would continue working to achieve a lasting peace.
There was applause from some of the other world leaders in attendance at the Vatican when Mr Zelenskyy walked out of St Peter’s Basilica after stopping in front of the pontiff’s coffin to pay his respects.
Donald Trump and the Ukrainian president met for the first time since their Oval Office row. Pic: Reuters
Sir Tony Brenton, the former British ambassador to Russia, said the event presents diplomatic opportunities, including the “biggest possible meeting” between Mr Trump and the Ukrainian leader.
He told Sky News it could mark “an important step” in starting the peace process between Russia and Ukraine.
Professor Father Francesco Giordano told Sky News the meeting is being called “Pope Francis’s miracle” by members of the clergy, adding: “There’s so many things that happened today – it was just overwhelming.”
The bilateral meeting comes after Mr Trump’s peace negotiator Steve Witkoff held talks with Mr Putin at the Kremlin.
They discussed “the possibility of resuming direct negotiations between Russia and Ukraine”, Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said.
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Russia and Ukraine have not held direct talks since the early weeks of the war, which began in February 2022.
Mr Trump has claimed a deal to end the war is “very close” and has urged Mr Zelenskyy to “get it done” in a post on his Truth Social platform.
He has previously warned both sides his administration would walk away from its efforts to achieve a peace if the two sides do not agree a deal soon.
Meanwhile, the Polish armed forces said a Russian military helicopter violated its airspace over the Baltic Sea on Friday evening.
“The nature of the incident indicates that Russia is testing the readiness of our air defence systems,” they said in a post on X.
On an extraordinary day, remarkable pictures on the margins that capture what may be a turning point for the world.
In a corner of St Peter’s Basilica before the funeral of Pope Francis, the leaders of America and Ukraine sit facing each other in two solitary chairs.
They look like confessor and sinner except we cannot tell which one is which.
Leaning forward hands together in their laps, Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy stare at each other in one photo.
In another, the Ukrainian president seems to be remonstrating with the US president. This is their first encounter since their infamous bust-up in the Oval Office.
The two leaders held talks before attending the Pope’s funeral
Other pictures show the moment their French and British counterparts introduced the two men. There is a palpable sense of nervousness in the way the leaders engage.
We do not know what the two presidents said in their brief meeting.
But in the mind of the Ukrainian leader will be the knowledge President Trump has this week said America will reward Russia for its unprovoked brutal invasion of his country, under any peace deal.
Mr Trump has presented Ukraine and Russia with a proposal and ultimatum so one-sided it could have been written in the Kremlin.
Kyiv must surrender the land Russia has taken by force, Crimea forever, the rest at least for now. And it must submit to an act of extortion, a proposed deal that would hand over half its mineral wealth effectively to America.
The world leaders shared a moment before the service
Afterwards, Zelenskyy said it had been a good meeting that could turn out to be historic “if we reach results together”.
They had talked, he said, about the defence of Ukraine, a full and unconditional ceasefire and a durable and lasting peace that will prevent a war restarting.
The Trump peace proposal includes only unspecified security guarantees for Ukraine from countries that do not include the US. It rules out any membership of Ukraine.
Ukraine’s allies are watching closely to see if Mr Trump will apply any pressure on Vladimir Putin, let alone punish him for recent bloody attacks on Ukraine.
Or will he simply walk away if the proposal fails, blaming Ukrainian intransigence, however outrageously, before moving onto a rapprochement with Moscow.
If he does, America’s role as guarantor of international security will be seen effectively as over.
This could be the week we see the world order as we have known it since the end of the Second World War buried, as well as a pope.
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