Warning: This article contains discussion of rape which some readers may find distressing
Gisèle Pelicot’s daughter, Caroline Darian, has spoken out about her father, Dominique Pelicot, who has now been sentenced to 20 years in prison following an horrific abuse case.
In December of last year, a French court declared Dominque guilty of rape and all other charges against him and was sentenced to 20 years at the end of a historic three-and-a-half month trial in December.
It is believed that over 80 individuals - some of who Dominique had allegedly reached out to online - took part in the crimes against Gisèle.
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Following the sentencing of Pelicot, Giselè issued an important statement outside the court, where she shared her 'profound gratitude' to those who had given her support during this 'difficult ordeal'.
Gisèle and Dominique's daughter, Caroline, has opened up about the moment her mum told her the truth about her father in 2020.
"She announced to me that she discovered that morning that [my father] Dominique had been drugging her for about 10 years so that different men could rape her." she recalled in an interview with BBC Radio 4's Today programme's Emma Barnett.
"At that moment, I lost what was a normal life. I remember I shouted, I cried, I even insulted him. It was like an earthquake. A tsunami."
Shortly after finding out the news, she was contacted by the police who later showed her two photos they found on her father's laptop of an unconscious woman on a bed, wearing just a T-shirt and underwear.
The woman in question was herself - something she didn't notice at first.
"I lived a dissociation effect. I had difficulties recognising myself from the start," she explained. "Then the police officer said: 'Look, you have the same brown mark on your cheek... it's you.' I looked at those two photos differently then... I was laying on my left side like my mother, in all her pictures."
Ms Darian says she is convinced her father abused and raped her too - something he continuously denied in court, however, he had conflicting reasons for the photos, according to the BBC.
"I know that he drugged me, probably for sexual abuse. But I don't have any evidence," she continued.
Her mother's case saw French authorities discover records of the heinous assaults against the mother-of-three inside the Pelicot property, indicating that Dominique had filmed every single interaction.
"And that's the case for how many victims? They are not believed because there's no evidence. They're not listened to, not supported." she added.
"When I look back I don't really remember the father that I thought he was. I look straight to the criminal, the sexual criminal he is."
She continued to say he should 'die in prison', calling him a 'dangerous man'.
If you have been affected by any of the issues in this article and wish to speak to someone in confidence, contact the Rape Crisis England and Wales helpline on 0808 500 222, available 24/7. If you are currently in danger or need urgent medical attention, you should call 999.
Topics: News, World News, Crime
Rhiannon Ingle