Gisèle Pelicot’s daughter has opened up about why she is no longer in contact with her mother after her father was convicted of aggravated rape.
It was discovered that Gisèle had been drugged and raped multiple times over a span of nearly ten years by her now ex-husband, Dominique Pelicot. He reportedly spiked her food with sleeping pills and other substances, and allegedly communicated with men online, inviting them into their home to assault her unconscious body. These acts were recorded and stored on a hard drive labeled ‘abuse’.
Dominique Pelicot, whose criminal activities came to light after he was apprehended for upskirting in a supermarket, confessed to incapacitating his wife of 50 years with drugs. He was also convicted of the attempted aggravated rape of the wife of one of his co-defendants, as well as taking indecent images of his daughter, Caroline Darian, and his daughters-in-law. Pelicot received a 20-year prison sentence.
In a landmark case that has gained international attention, a panel of five judges in France delivered verdicts last December to the numerous men charged with aggravated rape and sexual assault on Gisèle. During the proceedings, Darian expressed to the judge: “I’m a forgotten victim in this case.”
Earlier this year, Darian moved forward with charges against her father, accusing him of drugging and raping her.
“I know that he drugged me, probably for sexual abuse. But I don’t have any evidence,” she shared with the BBC.
While Pelicot denies his daughter’s allegations, Darian has claimed that her mother never believed her. Recently, she spoke to The Telegraph, revealing that she is no longer in communication with Gisèle.
“My mother let go of my hand in that courtroom,” she stated. “She abandoned me.
“For four years, I accompanied my mum everywhere. I supported her without ever judging her. And it wasn’t always easy because she didn’t want to hear what I was telling her about Dominique.
“But in that courtroom, she was supposed to help me.
“And that I can never forgive her for. Never.”
Darian further added: “So that’s what things really look like behind the scenes.
“My mum was catapulted into the limelight; she became an icon. Meanwhile, there we were, back down on Earth, with all these unanswered questions – and we are damaged. Really damaged. And we are alone.
“That’s the truth, but people have no idea.
“We no longer have a father or a mother, today.”
If you have been impacted by any of the issues discussed in this article, you can reach out to The National Sexual Assault Hotline at 800.656.HOPE (4673), available 24/7. Alternatively, you can chat online via online.rainn.org.