Gisèle Pelicot Age, Boyfriend, Husband, Children, Family, Biography
Gisèle Pelicot Age, Boyfriend, Husband, Children, Family, Biography
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Quick Infoâ
Age: 73 Years
Husband: Dominique Pelicot
Marital Status: Divorced
| Bio/Wiki | |
|---|---|
| Profession | Business Manager |
| Known For | Being drugged and raped by her husband and 72 men for a period of 10 years |
| Physical Stats | |
| Height (approx.) | 5'4" (163 cm) |
| Eye Colour | Black |
| Hair Colour | Medium Copper Golden Blonde |
| Personal Life | |
| Date of Birth | Year, 1952 |
| Age (as of 2025) | 73 Years |
| Birthplace | Germany |
| Nationality | French |
| Food Habit | Non-vegetarian |
| Controversies | ⢠Drugged and raped by various men including her husband for 10 years She was drugged and raped more than 200 times by her husband who further invited 72 men to rape her for a period of 9 years from July 2011 to October 2020. Over 20,000 images and videos of Gisèle getting raped were found on her husband's phone. The case was termed as 'Mazan rapes' by the international media as the event had occurred in Mazan, France. |
| Relationships & More | |
| Marital Status | Divorced |
| Affairs/Boyfriends | Dominique Pelicot (Electrician, Real Estate Agent, Salesman) |
| Marriage Date | First Marriage - April 1973  Second Marriage - July 11, 2007  |
| Marriage Place | Azay-le-Ferron, Indre |
| Family | |
| Husband/Spouse | Dominique Pelicot (m.1973-div.2001)(m.2007-div.2024)(Electrician, Real Estate Agent, Salesman)  |
| Children | Son(s)- 2 ⢠David Pelicot (Sales Manager)  ⢠Florian Pelicot (Actor)  Daughter- 1 ⢠Caroline Peyronnet (Author, Social Activist)  |
| Siblings | Brother- Michel (Deceased due to heart attack) |
Some Lesser Known Facts About Gisèle Pelicot
She moved to France from Germany with her family when she was 5 years old.
When she was 9 years old, her mother died due to cancer.
Growing up, Gisèle wanted to be a hairdresser but studied to become a typist.
She has worked as a business manager at EDF (ĂlectricitĂŠ de France), a multinational electric utility company.
She met her husband for the first time in 1971.
The couple divorced in 2001 to protect their assets from a debt settlement plan after her husband, Dominique Pelicotâs electrical engineering company went bankrupt.
She moved with her husband from Villiers-sur-Marne, Paris to Mazan, Vaucluse in March 2013 to retire together.
In September 2020, her husband was caught taking pictures of women under their skirts in a supermarket.
It was only after this incident that police went through his mobile phone, computer, and hard drives to discover several videos and photographs of his wife getting raped.
A folder titled ABUS (ABUSE) was found on his computer which contained over 20,000 images and videos of the rapes with Gisèle being unconscious in them.
There were also naked pictures of his daughter and daughters-in-law. The incident resulted in their son, Florian Pelicotâs divorce.
Florian Pelicot (right), David Pelicot, and Caroline Peyronnet at the courthouse of Avignon
During the investigation, police found that he was a member of a private chatroom called âĂ son insuâ (without her knowledge), where members discussed performing sexual acts on their partners without consent, often after drugging them.
On 2 September 2024, a trial against 51 men including her husband for the charges of raping Gisèle Pelicot began in the court of Avignon.
Gisèle Pelicot entering the court with her son Florian Pelicot and her lawyer
She became an icon internationally, especially in France due to her stance of waiving her anonymity and making her trial public to spread awareness about her case and provide solidarity to the victims of rape.
A poster on the wall near the courthouse of Avignon which translates to âGisèle, women thank youâ
According to her attorney, Stephane Babonneau, it was a way for Gisèle to say that âshame must change sides,â a phrase that has become synonymous with the case.
The news of her rape also started a public discussion in France on adding âconsentâ to Franceâs legal definition of rape.
During the trial, she would meet several supporters daily welcoming her to the court and applauding her for her courage when she would leave.
Many protests were organised in 30 different areas of France to support her and other victims of rape on 14 September 2024.
A protest held in support of Gisèle Pelicot and victims of rape in Paris
On 23 October 2024, while testifying in court, she stated that she wants the perpetrators of rape to feel shame rather than the victims and said,
Itâs not for us to have shame, itâs for them. I want all women who have been raped to say: Madame Pelicot did it, I can too. I donât want them to be ashamed any longer.â
A mural dedicated to Gisèle Pelicot by French artist, Maca with the text that translates to âWhy does shame change sidesâ
Dominique claimed that he started to abuse his wife after she was prescribed prescribed lorazepam (Temesta), an anxiety-reducing drug that causes drowsiness.
A courtroom sketch showing Dominique Pelicot during his trial
He claimed that he would mix Temesta in Gisèleâs drinks and food before raping her and filming the abuse.
He also admitted to inviting several men to rape Gisèle Pelicot while she was unconscious due to the drugs and making videos of the rapes.
It was found that her rapists ranged from different age groups and occupations, with the youngest being a 25-year-old soldier and the oldest being a 72-year-old pensioner, with 10 people returning on various occasions.
A sketch produced by the court artist of some of the accused men
Her husband revealed that he would ask the perpetrators to park away from the house to avoid getting noticed and wait for an hour till she lost consciousness due to the pills he had given to her.
Dominique Pelicot took several precautions to avoid waking up his wife and asked the perpetrators not to wear perfume or smoke due to Gisèleâs keen sense of smell.
They were further asked to remove their clothes before entering the bedroom and use the heater to warm their hands.
It was further revealed in the trial that the perpetrators didnât wear any condoms due to Pelicotâs demand. This resulted in Gisèle contracting four sexually transmitted infections.
Although one of her rapists was HIV positive and had raped her six times, she did not contract HIV or hepatitis B and C.
After the rape, Dominique would clean Gisèleâs body to avoid any suspicion.
Dominique has revealed that he didnât take any money from the perpetrators.
During the trial, it was revealed that some of the accused had homosexual relations with Dominique while others provided him with drugs to sedate Gisèle.
Some of the accused have pleaded guilty to raping Gisèle Pelicot and have pleaded guilty.
Many others rejected the notion of raping Gisèle but accepted having been tricked by her husband into thinking that their actions were consensual.
On 19 November 2024, in her final appearance for the trial, she stated that the society should change its attitude towards rape.
A courtroom sketch showing Gisèle Pelicot giving her closing statement while her ex-husband watches
She further called it âa trial of cowardiceâ as several of the accused didnât accept that they raped her. She asked her rapists how they couldnât understand that they donât have her consent and said,
Since this trial began, I have heard many things. I have seen people parade before the court who, for the most part, deny rape and I find it very difficult to face this triviality. I want to ask you, at what point, when you entered that room, did I give you my consent? At what point, when you saw that lifeless body, did you become conscious? I heard âI was being manipulatedâ, âI drank a glass of water, I was druggedâ. But at what point did they not understand?â
Due to the rapes and medications administered by Dominique on Gisèle, she started to fear for her health as she lost nearly 16 kilograms (35 lb) in weight and suffered hair loss.
She further experienced memory loss due to the drugs which made her fear that she was either suffering from Alzheimerâs or a brain tumour.
During the court proceedings, she exclaimed in anger that she had lost 10 years of her life by worrying about her health, feeling like she had been given a death sentence due to her illness.
She stated that she never suspected anything happened to her as she would wake up in her clothes and lead a regular lifestyle with her husband.
She admitted during the trial to having an affair in the 1990s and being forgiven by her husband. She also claimed that her husband had several affairs.
Defence lawyers asked Gisèle why she continued to use her ex-husbandâs surname, âPelicot.â She admitted that although her children were ashamed of the surname, her grandchildren use that surname. Wishing for them to be proud of her, she said,
I have grandchildren who are called that. Today, I want them to be proud of their grandmother. My name is known across the world now. They shouldnât be ashamed of carrying that name. Today we will remember Gisèle Pelicot.â
In February 2025, she was listed in the TIME magazineâs Women of the Year list.
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