A Security Guard at a French Supermarket Is Responsible for Busting Gisèle Pelicot's Husband

It's difficult to imagine what Gisèle Pelicot has had to endure during a landmark trial that ended in convictions for 51 men. On Dec. 19, 2024, a French court found Gisèle's husband, as well as dozens of men, guilty of rape, attempted rape, or sexual assault. These horrific crimes occurred over a period of nine years from 2011 to 2020. Gisèle husband, Dominique Pelicot, recorded many of the instances of abuse, per Reuters.

Gisèle was also drugged during her assaults and for years was "worried she was developing Alzheimer's or had a brain tumor because of the memory gaps," reported Reuters. This begs the question, how did Gisèle Pelicot find out what was being done to her for almost a decade? Details to follow.

In September 2020, Gisèle and her husband were living in the village of Mazan in Provence, France. The couple had been married for 50 years, though they briefly divorced in 2001 for financial reasons, but remarried six years later, per France Televisions. They were both born in 1952 and share three children, all of whom had just visited them for the summer with their own kids. By all accounts, they were fairly happy.

According to The Guardian, on Saturday, Sept. 12, Dominique drove 20 minutes to the town of Carpentras to do some shopping at their supermarket. Gisèle was in Paris taking care of her grandchildren. Because it was so warm out, many women were wearing dresses and skirts while shopping. What they didn't know was Dominique had a large black bag equipped with a hidden camera that he was using to take upskirt videos

The camera was recording as Dominique placed his bag on the ground next to women wearing dresses or skirts. A security guard at the supermarket noticed Dominique's suspicious behavior and notified police. He also encouraged the women involved to file a complaint. The women were unsure of who to believe, so they didn't press charges. Local police, however, spoke with Dominique who confessed to filming "up women’s skirts at the supermarket because his wife was away and he’d had an 'urge.'"

Authorities suspected there was more to this story, so they confiscated the two cell phones Dominique had on his person and conducted a thorough search of his home. What they found was truly horrifying. Dominique had in his possession thousands of photos and videos of rape and abuse, most of which featured Gisèle.

Dominique told police that he found men to rape his wife on the unmoderated chat site Coco, as well as a website called “Against her knowledge," both of which have since been shut down. Once he connected with these men, he would send messages like, "I’m looking for a pervert accomplice to abuse my wife who’s been put to sleep" or "You’re like me, you like rape mode." The videos were filmed in the couple's home after Dominique drugged Gisèle.

The recorded assaults showed Gisèle in various states of undress, often clad in underwear Dominique would purchase and put on her. Off-camera, Dominique would sometimes shout insults about his wife, such as referring to her as "the slut." He would occasionally write notes that sat beside her bed. "I'm a submissive slut," read one. Some of the men would give the camera a thumbs up.