The 50 men involved in the harrowing rape of grandmother Gisele Pelicot in her home have been described as “Mr Average” – but the industrial scale of their depravity was beyond normal.
Today, judges in France handed down verdicts and convicted the perpetrators after an almost four-month-long trial that shocked the world.
9
Gisele Pelicot was drugged and unconscious when she was raped by her husband DominiqueCredit: EPA
9
Monster Dominique Pelicot invited dozens of men to his home to rape his wife Credit: Reuters
9
One of the defendants arrives at the courthouse in Avignon this morningCredit: AFP
Gisele’s husband Dominique, 72, was sentenced to 20 years behind bars after admitting to raping his unconscious wife and inviting at least 83 men to join in.
Thirteen have pleaded guilty, 35 have denied the charges, another is on the run, and the rest will be identified.
Of the 51 defendants, 47 of them, including Pélicot, were found guilty of aggravated rape.
Two were found guilty of attempted rape, and two of them were found guilty of sexual assault.
The attackers include a soldier who assaulted Gisele on his daughter’s birthday, a nurse who assaulted her for three hours, a forklift driver who knew he was HIV positive and a local man who continued even though his victim was snoring.
Pelicot’s lawyer, Beatrice Zavarro, called them “Mr. Average” and said the “real debate” is “how these people, from all walks of life, got into Gisèle Pelicot’s bedroom.”
But psychologist Annabelle Montagne, who assessed the accused on behalf of the court in Avignon, said: “This is not Mr Everyman who committed these acts.”
Among a number of professions, including councilor, grocer and computer scientist, 14 of the accused have previously been convicted of violence.
They were all caught because Pelicot recorded all the “chemical submission” attacks on his wife and kept the videos on his computer. The 72-year-old retired electrician was nicknamed the Devil from Mazan, where the couple lived in the south of France.
Here we look at some of the evil men, ranging in age from 22 to 68 at the time of the rape, who committed horrific acts for him.
Brave ‘Beast of Avignon’ victim Dominique Pelicot sees 27 sick images of her own rape as shown to hushed court
Quentin Hennebert
The 34-year-old prison officer worked at the prison where Pelicot was held after his 2020 arrest.
Described as “hard-working, very humane, courageous and law-abiding,” Hennebert was a former police officer.
Instead of “abiding the law,” he sold ecstasy through a website where Pelicot found men willing to sleep with his unconscious wife.
Ten months before detectives caught Pelicot in 2020, Hennebert arranged to go to the serial rapist’s home in Mazano to sleep with Gisele.
A psychological evaluation described him as a “psychopath”.
Romain Vandevelde
The 63-year-old forklift driver knew he was HIV positive when he raped Gisele six times without a condom.
Vandevelde denied the accusations, claiming that “her husband invited me in” and that Pelicota’s consent was sufficient.
9
Gisele’s brave decision to give up her anonymity led to thousands of people rallying in supportCredit: Reuters
9
A pedestrian walks past a collage mural with the inscription “Justice for Gisele, justice for all” Credit: AFP
9
Thousands of people gather to organize protests in support of GiseleCredit: Getty
Fortunately, Gisele did not contract the potentially fatal disease because he had a low amount of the virus.
Vandevelde said he went to the Pelicots’ home because “I felt lonely. Christmas was approaching and I would be alone again. I was looking for friendship.”
Joan Kawai
A French soldier performed heinous acts on a drugged-up Gisele on the day his daughter was born.
At 26, Kawai was the youngest of the accused and was just 22 when he first went to the Pelicots’ home in November 2019.
Despite Gisele not waking up during his sexual assault, Kawai returned the next year for more.
The images of the attack were so disturbing that Gisele asked her daughter Caroline Darian to leave the courtroom when they were shown to the judges.
He claimed: “I knew she was unconscious, but not that she wasn’t consenting.”
Abdelali Dallal
The 47-year-old former employee in the canteen was driven to the home of the Pelicots by his partner at the time.
She waited patiently outside in 2018, unaware that Dallal was having sex with the unconscious woman inside.
Dallal admitted to two incidents of rape and that Pelicot told him he “won’t wake up”.
He came back for more.
When first confronted with the video of his cruel deeds, he said it must be his doppelganger in the video.
Gisèle’s bravery changed the conversation
By Julie Bindel
By deciding to give up anonymity, Gisèle Pelicot paid a heavy price. But the gift she gave to women, especially those who were also raped and sexually abused, is even greater.
It was feminists who pushed for a change in British law, which came into force in 1976, which gave victims of sexual crimes the right to anonymity. Before then, women were unlikely to report rape, as the humiliation of being named brought shame and stigma to the victim, not the perpetrator.
In cases of sexual assault, it is too often the woman who is questioned, and not the man who carried out the attack. “What was she wearing?”, “Did she drink?”, “Was she known to be promiscuous?” All these questions and assumptions put the focus on the victim. Gisèle’s willingness to be named and photographed by the world press, after being raped by more than 50 men, took ‘courage’ to a new level.
The late Jill Saward, known as the Ealing Vicarage rape victim, has waived her anonymity after being repeatedly and violently raped by two men during a burglary. Jill was only 21 years old at the time, but she was a lifelong fighter for the rights and protection of rape victims. Like Gisèle, she was a hero.
Now that the 51 men in the Pelicot trial have been convicted and sentenced, other rape victims, inspired by Gisèle, say they will also waive their anonymity during any trial. I hope they will do it with support and without regret.
A few years ago I interviewed an 18-year-old girl who had been gang-raped and I was determined that I should use her full name in a national newspaper report. I gently dissuaded her from that because she has a life and a career ahead of her. I asked her if she wanted her terrible ordeal to be the first thing a potential employer saw when they Googled it, and she later told me she was grateful for my advice.
Gisèle changed the games. She brought the truth about rape and how ‘ordinary people’ who are part of the local community can and do commit monstrous crimes. She shed light on the perpetrators and became an international feminist icon.
Gisèle will forever be remembered as the woman who shifted the focus to the men who committed such heinous crimes. As a result, there is no stigma or shame attached to it. Far from it.
All my adult life I have been campaigning to end male violence against women and girls and I fully support the right to anonymity for rape victims.
Also, I wholeheartedly applaud any woman who stands up and uses her name without shame. Such women must have the full protection and support of the criminal justice system, but also of the wider society.
As Gisele said, shame has to switch sides.
The courage and perseverance of women who have suffered terrible abuse never ceases to bring me joy and nourishment.
I am one of the countless women who say to Gisèle: “Thank you, sister”.
Simone McKenes
The 42-year-old builder and former soldier lived just 600 feet from Gisele’s home.
Mekenes was the only attacker she recognized from the videos police found on her husband’s electronic devices.
9
Pelico appears during the trial with 50 co-defendantsCredit: Reuters
9
Gisele’s son, David Pelicot, waves to supporters gathered outside the courthouseCredit: AFP
9
The defendants arrive at the courthouse earlier this monthCredit: AP
Gisele can be heard snoring as he attacked her in 2018.
Despite this, the father-of-six pleaded not guilty, claiming he thought the pair were playing a sexual game.
He claimed he was raped as a teenager.
Adrien Longeron
The 34-year-old son of a wealthy construction entrepreneur admitted that he hated women and was convicted of raping three former partners last year.
He had already served 14 years behind bars when the Pelicot trial began.
On the night he attacked Gisele, his girlfriend at the time was nine months pregnant and gave birth a little over a week later.
Longeron denied raping Pelicot, saying that “when the husband is present, it is not rape.”
He was said to come from a “loving family”, with his mother a carer and his father an executive of a public works company.
Redouan El Farihi
The visiting nurse, 55, is a trained anesthetist, but claims he did not know Gisele was drugged.
Pelicot said he offered Gisele to the nurse as a “gift” for three hours.
El Farihi claimed that he did what Pelicot told him that “out of fear, not to frustrate him, he acted like a psychopath”.
How you can get help
Women’s Aid has the following advice for victims and their families:
- Always keep your phone nearby.
- Get in touch with charities for help, including the Women’s Aid live chat helpline and services such as SupportLine.
- If you are in danger, call 999.
- Learn about the silent solution, by reporting abuse without speaking into the handset, instead of dialing “55”.
- Always have some cash with you, including change for a payphone or bus ticket.
- If you suspect that your partner is about to attack you, try to go to a less risky part of the house – for example, where there is an exit and access to a phone.
- Avoid the kitchen and garage, where knives or other weapons are likely to be found. Avoid rooms where you could become trapped, such as a bathroom or where you could be locked in a closet or other small space.
If you are a victim of domestic abuse, the SupportLine is open on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 6pm to 8pm on 01708 765200. The charity’s email support service is open weekdays and weekends during a crisis – [email protected].
Women’s Aid offers a live chat service – available weekdays from 8am to 6pm and weekends from 10am to 6pm.
You can also call the free 24-hour National Domestic Abuse Helpline on 0808 2000 247.
His supportive wife was away in Morocco when the rape happened in June 2019, and their dreams of adopting a child were dashed by his criminal act.
El Farihi used sex workers and cheated on his wife in the past.
Jean-Pierre Marechal
The 63-year-old father of five is described as Pelicot’s student.
Marechal is the only defendant not accused of raping Gisela.
Instead, he learned from Pelicot how to drug and rape his own wife.
The truck driver called his ‘teacher’ to join him and was almost caught when his wife woke up.
Unlike many other defendants, Marechal has shown remorse for his crimes.
He said: “I have done heinous things. I am a criminal and a rapist. What I have done is terrible, I want severe punishment.”
Categories: Optical Illusion
Source: HIS Education