Gisele Pelicot’s daughter says chemical castration ‘could be part of the solution’ for sex offenders
The daughter of Gisele Pelicot has suggested chemical castration could be “one part of the solution” when there is “nothing else you can do” for sex offenders – like her father.
Caroline Darian’s father Dominique Pelicot admitted repeatedly drugging and raping his wife Gisele between 2011 and 2020, and inviting dozens of other men to their home in southern France to do the same.
Gisele decided to waive her right to anonymity to hold the trial of her husband and 50 other men in public, saying: “It is not for us to be ashamed, but for those men.”
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Speaking to Ali Fortescue on The Politics Hub, Ms Darian said the UK government’s plans to consider mandatory chemical castration could be “one part of the solution” for men like her father.
Gisele Pelicot. Pic: Reuters
She said: “It’s probably one part of the solution because you know when you’re at that level of crime, that level of criminal, there is nothing else you can do.”
Asked if she believed “men like your father” could be rehabilitated, Ms Darian said “no” and “never”.
For ten years, Pelicot repeatedly sedated his wife and invited strangers to abuse her after advertising sex with her on a French swinging website.
Some denied the rape charges, claiming they believed Gisele had agreed to be drugged and was a willing participant in a sex game between the couple.
But all the men charged were found guilty of at least one offence, with nearly all convicted of rape, after a trial that shocked France and made headlines around the world.
The defendants were sentenced to a total of more than 400 years, with Pelicot being sentenced to 20 years in prison.
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Pelicot also took photos of his daughter Caroline semi-naked while she was asleep.
Ms Darian is pressing charges against her father, having accused him of drugging and raping her. Pelicot has denied this.
Speaking to French media, Beatrice Zavarro, Pelicot’s lawyer, said Ms Darian’s decision to press charges was “unsurprising”.
She added that prosecutors had said there were insufficient “objective elements” to accuse Pelicot of raping and using chemical submission on Ms Darian.
Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood said last week that she will pursue “a nationwide rollout” of a scheme being piloted in southwest England to use medication to suppress the sexual drive of sex offenders.
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‘It’s a moment that will remain etched in my memory forever,’ David tells Sky News’ Siobhan Robbins.
Read more:
How Gisele Pelicot went from victim to feminist hero
Inside the depraved mind of ‘career criminal’ Dominique
It came after an independent review, led by the former justice secretary David Gauke, was commissioned by the government amid an overcrowding crisis in prisons in England and Wales.
The review recommended that chemical castration “may assist in management of suitable sex offenders both in prison and in the community”.
Ms Mahmood said she is “exploring whether mandating the approach is possible”. The trial is currently voluntary.
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One year on, how’s Keir Starmer’s government going? We’ve put together an end-of-term report with the help of pollster YouGov.
First, here are the government’s approval ratings – drifting downwards.
It didn’t start particularly high. There has never been a honeymoon.
But here is the big change. Last year’s Labour voters now disapprove of their own government. That wasn’t true at the start – but is now.
And remember, it’s easier to keep your existing voter coalition together than to get new ones from elsewhere.
So we have looked at where voters who backed Labour last year have gone now.
YouGov’s last mega poll shows half of Labour voters last year – 51% – say they would vote for them again if an election was held tomorrow.
Around one in five (19%) say they don’t know who they’d vote for – or wouldn’t vote.
But Labour are also leaking votes to the Lib Dems, Greens and Reform.
These are the main reasons why.
A sense that Labour haven’t delivered on their promises is top – just above the cost of living. Some 22% say they’ve been too right-wing, with a similar number saying Labour have “made no difference”. Immigration and public services are also up there.
Now, YouGov asked people whether they think the cabinet is doing a good or a bad job, and combined the two figures together to get a net score.
John Healey and Bridget Phillipson are on top, but the big beats of Angela Rayner, Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves bottom.
But it’s not over for Labour.
Here’s one scenario – 2024 Labour voters say they would much prefer a Labour-led government over a Conservative one.
But what about a Reform UK-led government? Well, Labour polls even better against them – just 11% of people who voted Labour in 2024 want to see them enter Number 10.
Signs of hope for Keir Starmer. But as Labour MPs head off for their summer holidays, few of their voters would give this government an A*.
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