Man Drugged Wife, Invited Dozens of Men to S.A. Her For More Than a Decade

A man is on trial in France, accused of drugging his wife and inviting dozens of men to rape her for more than a decade. Another 51 men are on trial accused of the same charge.

She lost her hair, lost weight, and became extremely forgetful, sometimes forgetting entire days. She appeared to be in some type of trance at times, and friends and family feared the worst. Could she have Alzheimer's or another medical condition responsible for the noticeable changes?

In 2020, the woman, who is now in her 70s, learned a shocking story, one that could very well explain those puzzling symptoms she experienced for years.

Police asked the woman to come to a police station in Avignon, France. When she arrived, officers told her that for more than a decade, her husband of 50 years, Dominique Pelicot, had been crushing sleeping pills into her food and drink, sending her into a deep sleep. When she was out, Pelicot raped her and called in dozens of other men to engage in intercourse with her in an unconscious state. Pelicot filmed and photographed the rapes.

The woman was shocked when she saw the videos and photographs of herself, telling officers that she and her husband had been together since she was 18 years old, and she considered him a caring and considerate man.

She had no recollection of any of the rapes and recognized only one of the men in the images, a neighbor who lived near the Pelicot home. The former Ms. Pelicot -who has since changed her name back to her maiden surname- will view the videos of herself being raped in court.

Police spent two years going through videos, online messages, and photographs to identify every man responsible for hurting the woman, and obtained warrants for 51 men -truck drivers, a journalist, a banker, a nurse, and an IT expert -many married with kids- were among the people charged with crimes.

A handful of the men returned to the home to rape the unconscious woman as many as six times.

Pelicot, 71, admitted to the accusations against him, although many of the men arrested denied the charges. Some of the men claimed the husband gave them permission and believed that to be enough, while others claimed to be under the impression that she wanted to be drugged and knew that it had occurred.

Since this case began, scrutiny has evolved over the handling of sex crimes in the country. In France, rape is defined as “an act of sexual penetration” committed by “violence, coercion, threat, or surprise." The broad definition anger many people, particularly feminist lawmakers who believe the wording should be changed to explicitly state that sex without consent is rape and that consent can be withdrawn at any time, and to add that sexual assault can be committed by “abusing a state impairing the judgment of another.”

The entire investigation came about after three women reported Pelicot to the police, alleging that he tried to use his camera to film up their skirts. Police investigating the report confiscated Pelicot’s electronic devices, finding more than 20,000 videos and photos of his wife being sexually assaulted. They also recovered Skype messages in which he bragged about drugging and raping his wife. The abuse began in 2011, and a total of 83 suspects were involved, 51 of whom they identified.

Pelicot is also accused of violating the privacy of his wife, daughter, and two daughters-in-law by illegally recording and distributing intimate photos of them.

During a recorded interview with police, Pelicot claimed that he began drugging his wife so he could do things to her and dress her in outfits that she normally wouldn’t wear. Then, he said he got the idea to invite others to participate but denied asking them for money. He began meeting men in a French chat room called “as on insu” (meaning “without their knowledge.”) It has since been shut down and its owner arrested due to more than 23,000 police cases.

Pelicot told police that he had rules for the men he invited to rape his wife to ensure she did not wake during the acts. They could not smoke or wear cologne, had to undress in the kitchen, and warm their hands under hot water so their cold hands would not jolt her awake. After the man raped his wife, Pelicot cleaned her body.

One of the men Pelicot invited to rape his wife instead drugged his wife and raped her, and invited Pelicot to participate. He has been charged in connection to that rape as well.

Police are investigating a possible connection between Pelicot and the rape and murder of a 23-year-old woman in 1991 and an attempted rape in 1999. He admitted to the attempted rape but denied involvement in the 1991 murder case.

Pelicot faces up to 20 years in prison.

For more information about this case, read the book, “And I Stopped Calling You Papa,” written by Caroline Darian, Pelicot's only daughter.